Cogent to Build 100 Mb/s Access Business on $100 Million Metromedia Fiber Deal

Metromedia Fiber Network (MFN; New York) will provide private, optical networks in key North American markets to New Zealand-based Cogent Communications, a venture-backed Internet access provider to commercial properties. The 20-year agreement is valued at more than $100 million.

MFN will lease local fiber infrastructure to Cogent in the metropolitan areas of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, San Francisco/San Jose, and Los Angeles. Cogent will deploy Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) over the fiber, creating an in-building gigabit Ethernet network capable of delivering dedicated broadband Internet services at 100 megabits per second (mbps).

Cogent is a new venture-backed company formed to offer a single product of 100mbps dedicated Internet access on a non-oversubscribed basis to Class A commercial buildings in the top 12 cities in the U.S.

Edited by Kristin Keiser