Cbeyond Inc. is ready to deploy a new dark-fiber infrastructure that will provide cloud services and network connectivity via BTI Systems (News - Alert) platforms to more buildings on its network. The new network initially is targeted at four U.S. markets.

According to Brett Burgett, vice president of Engineering and Planning, the SMB data services and connectivity supplier Cbeyond’s (News - Alert) focus on small and medium sized businesses in addition to individual customers has created new opportunities to bring more buildings on its network within its 14 market footprint.

Burgett said that the roll out of the new dark fiber network will be initially focused on Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Houston and hopes to have about 1000 buildings on the net by the end of next year.

Burgett also added that the company looked at systems from “quite a few” vendors before settling on the BTI 7000 Series and BTI 700 Series packet optical platforms. He said that the hardware capabilities certainly met Cbeyond’s requirements and in fact, BTI Systems provided to be the only set of systems that passed all of Cbeyond’s lab tests. Meanwhile, the proNX Service Manager will streamline service provisioning significantly, Burgett added.

Burgett also predicted that Cbeyond’s addressable market will significantly increase with the deployment of the new fiber-optic network and the company’s cloud and network service offerings will also increase. He said that the fact that the company will be able to provide cloud services, as well as Ethernet Private Line and point-to-point connectivity, on-net should prove a valuable differentiator.

The network infrastructure will have 1-Gbps collector rings and 10-Gbps core rings. Deployment is in the   initial stages in all the markets except Atlanta; the core ring in Atlanta has been turned up.

Joe Oesterling, the executive vice president, technology and operations at Cbeyond, said via a BTI Systems statement that the security, scalability and manageability of the network played an essential role in the migration to cloud services. He added that BTI impressed them with its software and open APIs, which integrate efficiently into their infrastructure and make it easier and faster to provision network services. Oesterling exclaimed that they were looking forward to working closely with BTI as they expanded their network.