The Network
We are uniquely OnNet with Frontier GlobalCenter (FGC) and Qwest. FGC, whose 13,000-mile fiber optic network and Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology provide an enormous 460 Gbps of capacity worldwide, has an ATM fiber node located just a few floors below our NOC.

Qwest, commonly known as the Provider's Provider, brings an OC-12 into Baltimore with plans to soon integrate an OC-48. We are very excited about the Qwest joint venture with EUnet, the largest data carrier in Europe. Our router will be just one hop away from Pennsauken, NJ which is then just one hop from Amsterdam and two hops from London, Stockholm, Bucharest, Madrid and Paris.

With our OnNet connections, fiber optic cables run inside our building directly from our NOC to the Qwest and GlobalCenter points of presence, placing us right on their network. Industry analysis reveals that 70% of downtime over 10 hours with any ISP is caused by telephone circuit failure. Because of the direct fiber optic connection between our Cisco 7200 router and theirs, we do not need to link to the Internet though an OC3 or T3 Telecom circuit. With this unique arrangement, circuit failure is virtually eliminated.

Scalable Bandwidth-On-Demand Connection
Our internal fiber optic lines can handle the bandwidth of a T3 or an OC3, and with FGC's DWDM technology, it can handle several times the bandwidth of an OC3. If our client's bandwidth needs were to increase suddenly, we have the infrastructure to handle the traffic.

Optimal Network Redundancy and Peering
The second most common reason for downtime is circuit failure on the tier 1 backbone. Because we are OnNet with Frontier GlobalCenter and Qwest, we share their digital distribution architecture, which includes private peering network connections to major Internet carriers such as MCI, Sprint, UUNET, AT&T, AOL, Best, Erols, @Home, IBM Advantis and others. These private peering arrangements allow us to exchange packets of data with every major backbone carrier in a one-to-one environment quickly and efficiently.

In addition, FGC has high-speed links to 8 public exchanges including both MAE East and West and several NAPS. Through these many public exchanges, customers have the ability to reach their site wherever they are coming from on the Internet. Thus we have the best of both worlds: a network that is both efficient and wide reaching. In addition, peering arrangements mean that should something happen to FGC's lines, their traffic will immediately be routed through other tier-1 providers. To give you an idea how reliable this is, Yahoo is another fine company who connects directly using Frontier GlobalCenter. If you can reach Yahoo, you can reach our network.

Efficient Routing
We employ intelligent end-user routing software called BGP. This Border Gate Protocol (BGP) can identify which path is the most efficient for each packet, and then route the packet to its destination on this path. This increases the speed at which web pages sent from our NOC arrive at their destinations.

Industry Leading Network Speed Guarantee
Our network daily average is 6.5% of its capacity, with midday peak spikes reaching only 15.5% capacity. Providers sometimes operate their networks just under peak capacity, which is three to four times responsible capacity. As a result, their corresponding transfer times reach over 300ms. Our transfer times are consistently less than 80ms, at any time of the day or night, and we are willing to guarantee this to our clients.