Upgrading the fiber network to the center of the nation’s defense sector is a wise move, and telecom infrastructure provider SummitIG has taken on the task with a new dark fiber installation along Interstate 95. Construction has begun on the run from Richmond to Ashburn, VA, scheduled for completion in mid-2014. The route will traverse the west edge of Washington DC, an area rich with data centers including the Quantico Corporate Center in North Stafford, VA, and Quantico Marine Base.

Though the company is only a year old Summit’s leadership team has worked in big data for decades. They saw the network overbuilding during the Internet bubble and have waited patiently for subscriptions to catch up. In previous positions Summit CEO and co-founder Bill Cook has developed fiber networks across the western US as well as overseeing construction, project management, and early on, acquiring rights to build out the MCI network.

With Virginia’s network infrastructure aging, Summit is investing in the belief that not only will data usage continue to grow, but so will the need for redundancy. As more individuals and businesses join the cloud those cloud service providers become the last line of defense, and distributing data centers around an area, or even the country, just makes good sense.

At an event announcing Summit’s new network as well as other growth opportunities in the region, US Marine Corps Col David Wells (News - Alert) spoke. “The threat is real,” he said, “the bad guys are out there.” Even with defense cutbacks the government’s need for fast, secure, reliable data conduits will only grow. Positioning themselves in an area which allows them to compete for government dollars gives Summit a strong competitive advantage.

Beyond the potential for military buy-in providing infrastructure to data centers hits at the core of SummitIG’s expertise and mission. Without releasing details on the costs of construction, Summit has also announced a regeneration facility planned in North Stafford to boost speed along the route and provide high quality service to the region.