Finding Metro Ethernet service is easy if you know where to look. Isn't that the case with just about everything? The trick with Ethernet is having a special tool that is designed specifically to find locations where Ethernet bandwidth is available and map them in relation to where you are located. You've used Google Maps, right? Wouldn't it be nice if you could specify a location and then see flags where Ethernet service is already provisioned?
You bet it would. Why? There's an old saying among prospectors. If you want to find gold, look in places where it has already been found. The same is true for bandwidth services. If you want to find Ethernet, look in places where Ethernet is already established.
What's so special about mapping out Metro Ethernet service? You need to realize that bringing in high bandwidth connections is an expensive and time consuming proposition. Competitive carriers need to trench fiber optic cables or fly them overhead on utility poles. When they get to a location where there are lots of potential customers, they'll establish a POP or Point of Presence. From there they extend service to major office buildings and other establishments that are willing to commit to bandwidths in the hundreds of Megabits/second or even Gbps.
You don't have to be a user of massive bandwidth. You only need to be near one. Then the cost of connecting you up is only the hop from the nearest distribution point to your location. If all you want in somewhere between 5 and 50 Mbps, chances are that you can get EoC or Ethernet over Copper. This is a technology that uses already in-place copper pair telco wiring to bring in Metro Ethernet service. For this to work, you need to be within a couple of miles or so of a service location.
Another option is to colocate your equipment in a facility that has Ethernet connectivity already available. These "carrier hotels" or colocation centers specialize in providing rack space, power & cooling, security and bandwidth at all levels at quite reasonable pricing.
Ready to find the nearest source of Ethernet service? Simply use the GeoQuote (tm) Shop For Ethernet online search engine by entering your business address. In a matter of seconds the system will respond with a map and list of nearby locations of buildings that are already "lit" for Ethernet.
