AT&T Leads Ethernet Rankings

BOSTON -- Year-end 2011 results for Vertical Systems Group's U.S. Business Ethernet Leaderboard are as follows (in rank order based on port share): AT&T, Verizon, tw telecom, Cox, XO, CenturyLink (includes Qwest and Savvis), Time Warner Cable, Level 3 (includes Global Crossing), and Cogent. As the foremost benchmark for measuring Ethernet market presence in the U.S., Vertical's Leaderboard ranks Service Providers that hold four percent (4%) or more of billable port installations.

The following six Service Providers comprise the next or "challenge-tier" of the U.S. Ethernet market based on port share (in alphabetical order): Abovenet, Charter Business, Comcast Business, Optimum Lightpath, Reliance GlobalCom and Windstream (includes Paetec). Other providers delivering Ethernet services in the U.S. include (in alphabetical order): American Telesis, Bright House Networks, Cincinnati Bell, Expedient, FiberLight, Frontier, Integra, Lightower, Masergy, Megapath, NTT America, Orange Business, Sidera Networks, SuddenLink, Virtela, Zayo Group and others.

"The second half of 2011 saw solid follow through of new network rollouts and add-on deployments. High speed service availability and decreased pricing were major market drivers," said Rick Malone, principal at Vertical Systems Group. "Our research also shows a clearer stratification among providers competing for Ethernet business in the U.S. The Leaderboard companies comprise the top tier of the market, accounting for a combined total of more than three-quarters of U.S. Ethernet service ports. The challenge-tier providers have attained market presence just below the Leaderboard threshold. Numerous other providers are also selling or planning to offer Ethernet services in the U.S."

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)