WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Cogent Communications, Inc., a next- generation Internet Service Provider (ISP) offering unprecedented optical bandwidth for radically low, unmetered pricing, today announced it has finalized negotiations with Switch and Data (http://www.switchanddata.com ), the pioneer of carrier-choice colocation centers and a leading provider of value-added infrastructure services. Switch and Data operates 34 Convergent Network Centers (CNCs) nationwide. As a result of this agreement, Cogent will gain access to 12 of Switch and Data's 34 CNCs nationwide in ten major metropolitan centers including New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The first sites will be connected to the Cogent Network starting within the next several weeks and all will be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2001.

"By offering ultra high-speed interconnection through Cogent's expansive IP network we expand our customers' choice set for provisioning the bandwidth they need," said Patricia Higgins, president and CEO of Switch and Data. "This agreement gives Switch and Data the opportunity to expand our networking services, and will allow Cogent to leverage our Convergent Network Centers to move into new high-demand metro markets without making huge capital investments."

http://www.cogentco.com