Deep Edge Realty Data Centers is expanding its interconnection facilities, with a focus on Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, driven by the increasing rural broadband investment. They recently completed construction of an interconnection data center in Charlotte, North Carolina, marking the initial phase of their multi-phase expansion plan.

This carrier-neutral facility augments their existing network, connecting long-haul and regional fiber networks from major providers like AT&T, Charter Communications, Lumen, Zayo Group, and Verizon. 

With the rise of fiber networks in smaller markets, such as through the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, Deep Edge aims to provide closer proximity to customers and faster responses to their needs in these markets. The expansion caters to ISPs, hyperscalers, and content providers, addressing the demand for robust interconnections in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets that traditional data center designs struggle to meet.

The Charlotte location specifically is a Tier 3 data center interconnect facility with redundant 2N power and N+1 cooling infrastructure, and includes managed data center suites, onsite connections to redundant utility grids and a secure Meet-Me-Room (MMR), where  network service providers, carriers and customers can interconnect.

According to Corcoran,  the company built the data center right next to the MMR, “where all those carriers come together, so its connectivity for our customers in the data center. And we built fiber pathways so they can easily connect to any one of those providers that they would like.”