As seen in the May 17, 2010  COMPTEL Connection

360networks
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
www.360networks.com

Q: What does your company do and how long has it been in operation?
A: 360networks is a financially stable, full service enabler of VoIP, transport, IP and local access services on its wholly owned fiber optic backbone.  Its integrated network architecture spans over 17,000 miles to more than 75 Tier 1 to Tier 4 markets throughout the western United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.  360networks is a CLEC in 39 states, serving carriers, ISPs, cable companies and large businesses. We help our customers quickly migrate from legacy technologies (like TDM), grow into new markets and increase network diversity.  The company has been in business for over 10 years.

Q: To what do you attribute your company’s success in the communications industry?
A: 360networks attributes its success to its ownership and operation of more than 17,000 miles of fiber optic network, covering over 1,400 rate centers and 68 million people in the western United States, including large metros as well as rural communities. 

Q: What have been the biggest obstacles your company has faced in the marketplace?
A: 360networks has built a strong reputation as a nimble provider of wholesale VoIP services.  However, 360networks is much more, serving as a full service enabler of VoIP, transport, IP and local access services.  And because we are exclusively a wholesale provider, we will never compete with our customers.  We will be getting this word out in 2010 as we work to keep up with increased demand for capacity.

Q: What do you see as your greatest challenges going forward?
A: Our greatest challenge will be keeping up with the demand and providing more flexibility to customers, through expansion into new western U.S. markets and support of new markets segments with high bandwidth needs, such as wireless carriers and video-on-demand service providers.

Q: What have been some of your company’s most recent achievements (new customer wins, new service/product deployment, etc.)?
A: 2009 was our strongest year on record.  We increased our customer base to 381 customers, added 185 rate centers in Texas, South Dakota and California that cover 9.7 million people, and introduced our Single Point of Interconnection (SPI) and Direct Internet Access (DIA) products. 

Q: Why is it important for your company to be a COMPTEL member?
A: COMPTEL continues to provide us with an efficient way to stay in touch with all of our customers.  It provides a forum for us to stay on top of and participate in discussions on industry trends.  COMPTEL continues to be a valuable partner, year in and year out.