AboveNet Grabs VZ, ATT fiber

AboveNet, Inc., a provider of fiber based connectivity solutions for businesses and carriers, today announced the acquisition of IRUs in, or service agreements for, 60 building access fiber connections held by AT&T in Los Angeles and Chicago as well as 180 building access fiber connections held by Verizon in New York, Washington/Baltimore and Philadelphia. AboveNet acquired these assets in competitive bid processes that AT&T and Verizon separately conducted to divest certain assets pursuant to Consent Decrees with the U.S. Department of Justice entered into in connection with the merger of SBC and AT&T, and Verizon and MCI, respectively. Prior to these transactions, AboveNet, a leading provider of metro fiber networks in the United States, had more than 1,100 optically connected buildings on its network in 14 U.S. metro markets.