Global fiber backbone built for the AI era — ultra-high-capacity, low-latency enterprise networking
Lumen Technologies (formerly CenturyLink) owns one of the world's largest private fiber networks — 400,000+ route miles of fiber connecting 600+ data centers globally. Where other ISPs focus on the last mile, Lumen owns the core. For enterprises with high-bandwidth inter-city requirements, colocation connectivity, or media and cloud delivery workloads that demand raw fiber capacity, Lumen's backbone is the infrastructure that everyone else rides on — why not contract with it directly?
Lumen Technologies is a global technology company that owns and operates one of the world's largest fiber networks, spanning 400,000+ route miles across North America, Europe, and Asia. Originally CenturyLink (which itself acquired Level 3 Communications in 2017), Lumen's legacy includes some of the most critical internet backbone infrastructure in existence — many major internet providers and hyperscalers transit traffic over Lumen's fiber. Their enterprise portfolio includes Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Ethernet private lines, MPLS, SD-WAN (Lumen SD-WAN with VMware VeloCloud), wavelength services (100G to 400G), and dark fiber.
Deployment model: Owned global fiber backbone; 400K+ route miles; 600+ data centers; Ethernet, DIA, wavelength, dark fiber. Pricing model: Per-circuit MRC; enterprise contracts with committed volume discounts. Typical price range: DIA from $300/month; enterprise fiber Ethernet custom; wavelength/dark fiber negotiated. Pricing is negotiable at volume — Compare Select benchmarks quotes against real transacted deals before you sign.
One of the world's most extensive private fiber backbones — spanning the continental U.S., Europe, and Asia with direct interconnects to every major internet exchange.
Symmetrical, uncontended internet access from 10 Mbps to 100 Gbps with a 99.99% uptime SLA — carrier-grade reliability over Lumen's owned infrastructure.
100G to 400G wavelength services and dark fiber for organizations requiring dedicated optical capacity — build your own network over Lumen's fiber for maximum control.
Managed SD-WAN on VMware VeloCloud, delivered over Lumen's network with integrated security and centralized management across hundreds of enterprise locations.
Direct connectivity to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud at Lumen's edge nodes — reduced latency versus internet-based cloud access for latency-sensitive enterprise workloads.
Built-in network-layer DDoS detection and mitigation powered by Lumen's global traffic visibility — a unique security advantage of operating a backbone network.
| Alternative | How it compares |
|---|---|
| AT&T Business | AT&T has stronger last-mile fiber density for enterprise buildings. Lumen wins on long-haul backbone capacity, wavelength services, and data center connectivity. |
| Zayo | Zayo specializes in dark fiber, wavelength, and neutral carrier services. Lumen has a broader enterprise product portfolio; Zayo wins for pure fiber infrastructure and colocation interconnect. |
Lumen is best suited for enterprise organizations with complex, high-bandwidth requirements — data center connectivity, inter-city private lines, or multi-100G capacity needs. For a typical SMB branch, AT&T, Comcast, or Spectrum likely offers faster provisioning and simpler contracts. Compare Select will recommend Lumen specifically where their backbone infrastructure provides a genuine advantage.
Compare Lumen Technologies against every alternative in our Internet & ISP Providers comparison, or browse the full vendor directory. Ready for pricing? Talk to a Compare Select advisor — our guidance is free and vendor-neutral.