AboveNet launches metro Ethernet

AboveNet announced it will now offer metro Ethernet service in its 12 top-tier markets.

The carrier will use Cisco Systems gear to offer point-to-point Ethernet connectivity on dedicated networks on both a wholesale and retail basis, though AboveNet said it is more focused on retail enterprise customers, which now account for 80% of its overall business.

The price of the new service will be "very aggressive" relative to services offered on shared networks, starting at around $4,000 per month for a dedicated point-to-point link, said AboveNet’s vice president of marketing Joe Ramsey.

AboveNet does not yet have paying customers for the new service but soon expects to provide metro Ethernet on a wholesale basis to hosting company VeriCenter, which will sell the service in Houston, Dallas, Boston and San Francisco.

AboveNet has more than 1,000 buildings on-net, it said. It does not currently offer the kind of legacy services, such as T-1 or frame relay, that metro Ethernet services are expected to displace.

At the moment, AboveNet has no plans to offer inter-city Ethernet links, as competitor Time Warner Telecom has done.