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will include a new 85-mile build that will connect downtown
Indianapolis to the Illinois state line. For the second phase of
this build, Facebook is partnering with the fiber company Zayo.
Phase Two will head west from Indianapolis through Vigo, Clay,
Putnam, Hendricks and Marion Counties. Both phases are slated
to be complete by the end of 2021, at which time Indiana will have
a fiber route via Facebook that spans the state from east to west.
Michele Kohler, strategic sourcing manager at Facebook, told
Fierce via email that Facebook sometimes leases existing fiber.
“We take a pragmatic approach to solving connectivity and utilize
many different methods,” said Kohler. “If there is existing fiber
available, our preference is to work with the partner to access it.
To support our 3B+ users around the world takes a lot of network.
We buy a lot from partners and where we need to, we build.” Kohler that time, Facebook said, “Unlike a retail telecommunications
said Facebook has 13 data center locations in the U.S., and eight provider, we will not be providing services directly to consumers.
are operational. “We intend to allow third parties — including local Our goal is to support the operators that provide such services to
and regional providers — to purchase excess capacity on our consumers. We will reserve a portion for our own use and make
fiber,” stated a Facebook blog today. “This capacity could provide the excess available to others. This means you’ll start to see a
additional network infrastructure to existing and emerging Facebook subsidiary, Middle Mile Infrastructure, operating as a
broadband providers, helping them extend middle-mile networks wholesale provider (or, where necessary, as a telecommunications
to many parts of the country, particularly in underserved rural carrier). Asked if Facebook will be competing with long-haul fiber
areas near our fiber backbones.” Kohler said the company is providers such as Lumen, Windstream and Zayo, Kohler said, “We
currently engaged in discussions with third parties about leasing build networks with the primary goal of meeting our own needs.
opportunities in Indiana. This isn’t Facebook’s first foray into Selling fiber is not our core business, and we view companies like
building long-haul fiber in the United States. According to a 2019 those as partners. However, we want to help underserved areas
blog posting, Facebook built a 200-mile fiber route to connect and where we can leverage underutilized capacity to improve
two of its data centers: one in New Mexico and one in Texas. At connectivity through partners, we will.”

Facebook Takes Another Step Towards Selling Wholesale Fiber Access

Facebook said today that it will build a fiber to build last-mile broadband networks, she amount of fiber required to connect the
network in Indiana to interconnect some of said. The Facebook network options may community to the Facebook network by
its data centers. The company also noted be particularly appealing to last-mile pro- as much as 40 kilometers. Facebook plans
that it will make capacity on that network viders because the networks connect to to offer both dark and lit fiber. The latter is
available to communications service pro- key traffic exchange points. The Facebook expected to be attractive for 10 Gbps or
viders. Where possible, Facebook purchas- Indiana network will span the state from 100 Gbps backhaul connectivity to major
es fiber connectivity from other companies east to west along Interstate 70, Kohler network access points, Kohler noted. To
but sometimes is unable to find fiber suit- explained. West of Indianapolis, the com- promote its Indiana fiber network plans,
able to meet its needs and undertakes its pany will use fiber from Zayo, but east of Facebook created a 10-minute video that
own network construction, explained Mi- Indianapolis, the company will lay its own includes interviews with people from the
chele Kohler, Facebook business develop- fiber. “In Indiana, there wasn’t a solution Indiana Economic Development Corpo-
ment manager for network investment, in to go into Ohio,” Kohler explained. “It was ration, the Indiana City-County Council,
an interview with Telecompetitor. In 2019, partly because we require four paths of Butler University, Indiana University and
for example, the company announced a diversity.” Facebook doesn’t factor in po- other organizations. The video likens ef-
similar fiber network build between Co- tential sales to communications service forts to improve broadband availability to
lumbus, Ohio and Ashburn, Virginia. At providers when it plans its fiber builds, interstate highway initiatives that began in
that time, the company said it would offer Kohler noted. But conversations with pro- 1956 and “completely transformed Ameri-
excess capacity on that network to other viders in advance of a network build have can life.” “The same can be said of the in-
service providers. That network is still un- influenced construction decisions. She ternet,” the video explains, also noting that
der construction and as a result, Facebook noted, for example, that Facebook made “broadband is your bank, your doctor, your
has no announced fiber sales. But accord- the decision to make microduct part of its grocery store, your office, your school.” In
ing to Kohler, “we’ve gotten a lot of interest installation to make it easier to connect to explaining Facebook’s role, the video notes
and had a lot of conversations.” Among the network at points along the way. This that “every time we build a new data cen-
those interested are wireline and wireless approach eliminates the need for last-mile ter, we lay a lot of fiber – fiber that benefits
providers, companies looking for long- providers to build fiber to a Facebook in- everyone.”
haul connectivity and companies looking line amplification (ILA) hut, reducing the

50 APRIL-MAY 2021