In today’s interconnected world, the phrase “local connectivity fuels the economy” holds truer than ever. Fiber connection points within a metro area like Atlanta are the essential arteries that sustain economic growth, innovation, and day-to-day business operations. At BIG Fiber, we recognize that a truly robust digital future demands more than just exceptional local service. It requires global connections, like our new partnership with global digital infrastructure provider EXA Infrastructure.
Relationships that extend beyond the metro give local businesses immediate access to the world’s most critical data centers and markets. By working outside of the Atlanta metro area, we are creating high-capacity, low-latency pathways that transform Atlanta from a regional hub into a global gateway, ensuring our local businesses can compete and thrive on a world stage.
Strengthening Local and Global Connectivity
Today’s demanding digital landscape, strong local fiber connectivity is the foundation for global reach. Forging new partnerships, like this one with EXA Infrastructure, will become even more important as they enhance the depth and diversity of the services offered locally, while providing low-latency access to major domestic and international markets.
This joint effort immediately strengthens Atlanta’s position as a premier data center hub. As the city continues its rapid expansion to meet the demands of the AI era, with hundreds of megawatts of new capacity under construction, diverse, high-capacity routes are essential to managing traffic and avoiding network congestion. Atlanta’s data center net absorption surpassed Northern Virginia in 2024 for the first time, firmly defining it as a critical market in the North American digital landscape.
Atlanta to Ashburn and Beyond
EXA’s new, high-capacity fiber pathway runs along the base of the Appalachians. This route offers near-complete diversity from existing, often congested, paths and provides a secure, low-latency connection between Atlanta and Ashburn in Northern Virginia, one of the top U.S. data center markets.
Through our partnership, BIG Fiber is the on-ramp for Atlanta clients, enabling them to tap directly into this vital path. Our extensive local footprint and use of cutting-edge 652.D fiber technology allow us to seamlessly extend the capabilities of EXA’s network into the region’s most critical data centers, including:
- 56 Marietta
- 180 Peachtree
- 450 Interstate
- 1033 Jefferson
This integration unlocks a 400G-enabled path for businesses utilizing BIG Fiber’s services, ideal for the soaring capacity requirements of financial services, IT, and content companies that drive Atlanta’s economy.
The Gateway to Europe
The Greater Atlanta area is home to nearly 1,000 international companies and over 70 foreign consular offices. These businesses require reliable digital infrastructure with a global reach to remain competitive – something this partnership provides.
The EXA network provides a direct link from Ashburn, Virginia to Europe via its diverse and rapidly expanding transatlantic subsea infrastructure, meaning BIG Fiber customers can secure on-net circuits that connect to key locations like London, leveraging the same seamless, high-performance network.
The new route itself is powered by the latest Ciena 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS) optical technology, demonstrating a massive capacity achievement (upwards of 28–30 Tbps). This commitment to cutting-edge technology ensures the new connection supports the most demanding, real-time use cases, such as financial trading, AI inference clusters, and high-definition streaming.
Connect with BIG Fiber Today
Our partnership with EXA Infrastructure is a testament to our commitment to providing diverse connectivity options. Learn more about our Greater Atlanta network here or contact us with questions.