Frontier beefs up data presence

Frontier Communications announced plans last week to build up its value-added data and Internet services using a three-pronged approach. The goal is to create a dominant presence in the data industry.

First Frontier will continue to build out its fiber optic, Internet protocol-based Optronics network. With one of the first national OC-48 (2.4 Gb/s) networks, Frontier will upgrade capacity as necessary, a company spokesman said.

Second, Frontier will build a series of media distribution centers to support Web and application hosting and Internet service provider co-location. Frontier now maintains data centers in three markets and will expand its presence to several more by the end of the year.

The high-end data centers are an "emerging high-growth business," attracting Exodus Communications, Sprint and MCI WorldCom, said Courtney Munroe, director of business network service/extranet commerce service at International Data Corp. "The other big company is Exodus. But Frontier can say, 'We've been doing this. We've got the expertise and the network capacity to not just host this [data] but to carry your traffic, too.'"

The final prong of Frontier's plan is to boost its Web-based monitoring and management piece, uCommand. Customers can monitor the network and usage, provision resources in real time, and do billingand reporting via the Web.

"It's a sound strategy," said Munroe. "They offer a good combination of fiber facilities, and they have the expertise in the IP business, the data business [and] Web hosting. They have a pretty good chance of success, but they have to get the word out and make Frontier a chic data-centric name."

The announcement comes amid rumors that Frontier plans to split off its voice and data businesses. A Frontier spokesman said the company is looking at "all the options on the table," but being acquired "isn't a specific direction the company is headed in."

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