The first phase of Zayo’s deployment is underway in New York and New Jersey, with plans to extend the upgraded infrastructure to additional markets
In sum – what to know:
AI-fueled fiber boom – hyperscale data centers and AI workloads are driving unprecedented demand for high-capacity, low-latency fiber.
IP backbone overhaul – Zayo’s partnership with Nokia brings 400G/800G-ready routing to its core, boosting scalability, reliability, and resilience across expanding U.S. markets.
Demand-led expansion – from new long-haul builds to fiber acquisitions, Zayo is “just following where the demand is” to meet surging enterprise and cloud connectivity needs.
Denver-based telecom infrastructure provider Zayo is partnering with Nokia to overhaul its IP network architecture, part of a broader effort to deliver faster, more reliable connectivity and expand its service footprint across the United States.
The first phase of deployment is underway in New York and New Jersey, with plans to extend the upgraded infrastructure to dozens of additional markets and thousands of lit buildings over the next year. The project is based on Nokia’s FP5-powered 7750 Service Router and 7250 Interconnect Router platforms, designed to support 400G and 800G-capable services at scale.
“By partnering with Nokia, we’re setting a new standard for fiber-based connectivity,” said Aaron Werley, Zayo’s senior vice president of engineering, emphasizing the ability to light new markets and buildings more quickly in response to customer demand.
Nokia Vice President Jeff Valley said the collaboration underscores both companies’ commitment to advancing network transformation and supporting the next wave of cloud and edge computing.
The Nokia partnership is the latest move in Zayo’s aggressive expansion strategy. The company’s network now spans 19 million fiber miles and 147,000 route miles, connecting 400 markets and more than 1,500 data centers globally. By modernizing its IP backbone, Zayo aims to boost scalability, reduce congestion, and eliminate single points of failure across its infrastructure.
The company has been building momentum throughout 2025. In January, it committed to constructing 5,000 miles of new long-haul routes, including a 385-mile link between Chicago and Columbus. Two months later, Zayo announced plans to acquire Crown Castle’s fiber-solutions division, expanding its metro footprint by more than 100,000 route miles and adding 70,000+ on-net locations.
The company’s latest “Bandwidth Report: Key Trends Driving the Bandwidth Boom” highlights the scale of future demand. Zayo estimates that nearly 200 million additional fiber network miles will be required by 2030 to keep pace with growth, including 120 million long-haul and 70 million metro miles that must be deployed by decade’s end to avoid capacity bottlenecks.
“When you’re doing fiber expansion, the smart way to do it is to go where the customers are telling you to go,” Zayo’s Chief Product Officer Bill Long recently told RCR. “Just follow where the demand is.” And that demand, he explained, is increasingly driven by AI workloads and large-scale data center development. “We’re seeing AI… in a couple of different tiers,” Long said, pointing to the need for massive fiber connectivity into new hyperscale campuses — “gargantuan” facilities approaching a gigawatt of power.
