BOSTON, MA – By the end of 2011, direct fiber connections were available to 31.8 percent of U.S. commercial locations with 20 or more employees – up from 27.7 percent a year earlier – according to latest research from Vertical Systems Group. Fiber-connected buildings enable tenants to access network services that provide bandwidth up to multi-Gbps rates.

“Direct fiber is the preferred access technology deployed for business services like Ethernet and IP VPNs and for connectivity to the Internet and cloud-based applications,” says Rosemary Cochran, principal at Vertical Systems Group. “With the majority of larger U.S. buildings already fiber-connected to one or more networks, service providers widened their fiber footprints in 2011 to cover more small and medium locations through new construction, strategic partnerships or acquisitions.”