Mid-2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD

Lumen secures #1 rank on U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD; Roster of top companies expands to five

BOSTON, MA, August 6, 2024 – Vertical Systems Group announces that the roster of companies on the mid-year 2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD increased to five companies (in rank order based on billable circuit share): Lumen, Zayo, Verizon, AT&T, and Crown Castle. To qualify for a LEADERBOARD rank, companies must have four percent (4%) or more of the U.S. market for retail and wholesale wavelength services. Wavelength circuits are Layer 1 dedicated bidirectional gigabit-speed optical fiber connections between two sites.

The Challenge Tier for this benchmark includes providers with between 1% and 4% share of the U.S. Wavelength market. The following three companies attained a Challenge Tier citation on the mid-2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD (in alphabetical order): Arelion (formerly Telia Carrier), Brightspeed, and Windstream.

U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD

“Wavelength revenue in the U.S. is on track to top $5 billion in 2024, driven by strong customer demand for retail gigabit circuits spurred by AI implementations,” said Rick Malone, principal of Vertical Systems Group. “Based on our latest research, double digit annual growth is projected for 100 Gbps and higher speed wavelength circuits through 2028.”

U.S. Wavelength LEADERBOARD Research Highlights

  • Lumen leads the U.S. Wavelength services segment, ranking first for the third consecutive time.
  • Crown Castle advances to the LEADERBOARD from the Challenge Tier. Cox Business dips from the Challenge Tier into the Market Player tier.
  • The escalating surge of AI applications is a major purchase driver for 100+ Gbps wavelengths.
  • Customers purchasing 400 Gbps wavelength services include top hyperscalers, financial entities, data centers, media and entertainment companies, and cloud providers.
  • U.S. fiber service providers cite very low customer demand for 800 Gbps wavelength services.
  • Three of the U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD companies – Lumen, Verizon, and AT&T – are also ranked on the year-end 2023 U.S. Carrier Ethernet LEADERBOARD.
  • All five of the mid-2024 U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD companies are ranked on the year-end 2023 U.S. Fiber Lit Buildings LEADERBOARD.
  • Ciena, Cisco, Infinera, Juniper, and RAD are primary technology suppliers to Wavelength service providers in the U.S. based on Vertical’s latest research.

Market Players include all other wavelength providers with U.S. circuit share below the one percent (1%) threshold. For mid-2024, Market Players include the following wavelength providers (in alphabetical order): 11:11 Systems, Accelecom, Alaska Communications, Armstrong Business Solutions, Astound Business Solutions, Bluebird Networks, Breezeline, Cogent, Colt, Consolidated Communications, C Spire, Comcast Business, Cox Business, DQE Communications, Epsilon, Everstream, Exa Infrastructure, ExteNet Systems, Fatbeam, FiberLight, First Digital, FirstLight, Frontier, GCX, Glo Fiber, Great Plains Communications, Lightpath, Logix Fiber Networks, LS Networks, MetroNet Business, Midco, Ritter Communications, Segra (including UPN), Shentel Business, Silver Star Telecom, Sparklight Business, Spectrum Enterprise, Syringa, TDS Telecom, Uniti, U.S. Signal, WOW!Business, Ziply Fiber and others.

Detailed results of Vertical Systems Group’s @Wavelength research are available now exclusively by subscription to an ENS Research Program. Research data includes the market share detail by provider that powers the U.S. Wavelength Services LEADERBOARD. ENS Wavelength services research quantifies this market through 2028, including U.S. revenue, circuits by speed (10 Gbps, 100 Gbps, 400 Gbps & Above), outlook on 800 Gbps services, wholesale vs. retail services, circuits by geographic scope, pricing by speed, verticals and use cases, attributes of Ethernet vs. Dark Fiber vs. Wavelength services – and more. Contact Us for more information and pricing.