Today's applications require both flexible bandwidth and high availability to operate at peak performance. Already integrated extensively within LAN architectures, Ethernet can be an excellent choice for metro area data transport and wide area interconnection.

For nearly 20 years, tw telecom (News - Alert) has delivered managed data, Internet and voice networking solutions to businesses and large organizations throughout the U.S. It is one of the three largest providers of business Ethernet in the nation, connecting more than 18,000 commercial buildings to its national fiber network.

The company recently released its fourth quarter 2012 financial results, including $377.9 million in revenue, $17.3 million in net income, $138.3 million in Modified EBITDA (M-EBITDA), $143.9 million in net cash provided by operating activities and $17.5 million in levered free cash flow.

For the year, the company reported $1.47 billion in revenue; $76.9 million of net income, $540.6 million of M-EBITDA, $463.7 million of net cash provided by operating activities and $129.7 million of levered free cash flow.

"In 2012, we achieved strong comprehensive financial results while rapidly deploying industry-leading Intelligent Network and advanced Ethernet capabilities," said Larissa Herda, tw telecom's chairman, CEO and president, in a statement. "In 2013, we're further advancing our long-term strategic vision which includes providing customers with unprecedented control and visibility of their network that we believe will accelerate the momentum in our business.  We're implementing several growth initiatives including investing in new technologies to drive ongoing innovative capabilities, expanding our sales resources for greater distribution and further automating network functionality for more dynamic customer connectivity.  These initiatives are all focused on further driving our revenue growth."

Key highlights for the year compared to 2011 include total revenue growth of 7.6 percent year-over-year compared to 7.4 percent for 2011, data and Internet revenue growth of 15.4 percent year-over-year compared to 18.2 percent for 2011 – driven primarily by a 22.4-percent increase in strategic Ethernet and VPN-based product revenue – and delivered $129.7 million of levered free cash flow, or 8.8 percent of revenue in 2012, compared to 6.7 percent in 2011.

The company has kept busy with exciting announcements, recognitions and product releases, especially in the past quarter. tw telecom recently made its newest national Ethernet service solution, E-Access or “One too Many,” widely available. The E-Access solution comprises the External Network-to-Network Interconnection (ENNI), the E-Access operator virtual connection (OVC) and the user-network-interface (UNI) or another ENNI owned by the same service provider.

E-Access and Dynamic Capacity were named the INTERNET TELEPHONY Products of Year, and Dynamic Capacity won the 2012 North America Carrier Ethernet Award for best Ethernet application. In November, the company was recognized as the top public company in 2012 over nine other finalists, recognized for standing out among its competitors, constant innovation, happy employees and proud investors.

"Our plans for 2013 include further differentiation of our product portfolio," said John Blount, tw telecom's chief operating officer. "After successfully launching two phases of our Intelligent Network in 2012, we started 2013 with the launch of a unique new Intelligent Network feature. This feature provides proactive notification of network information based on parameters set by customers, which enables greater flexibility and unprecedented visibility to manage their networks. For 2013 we expect to add additional industry-leading capabilities that will allow us to continue to better serve customers and help win market share."

More details of the earnings report can be found here.