Case Study
DF&I Works with Hylan to Build the Future
When choosing a construction partner to build a brand new, 85-mile fiber build from Ashburn, Virginia, through Arcola, and on to Manassas, DF&I, a pure play wholesale provider of dark fiber and conduit networks to carriers and enterprise customers, knew that it needed to consider metrics other than price.
Details
Company Name: DF&I (Dark Fiber & Infrastructure, LLC)
Website: darkfiberinfra.com
DF&I Dark Fiber and Infrastructure, LLC (“DF&I”) is a pure play wholesale provider of dark fiber and conduit networks to carriers and enterprise customers and is a registered CLEC in multiple markets. The company was founded in 2017 and focuses on facilitating hyperscale access to key peering markets in the U.S.
Finding The Right Fit
Oftentimes, low-cost labor can mean more problems than it is worth for such complicated builds. The team at DF&I knew that a good construction partner would be able to complete the project correctly, on time, and within budget. DF&I sought a partner familiar with state and local permitting processes and requirements to shorten the time for the build and avoid any setbacks improper permits would bring.
Who is Hylan’s Down Under Construction?
Hylan’s Down Under Construction (DUC) division has the experience and local area knowledge necessary for a project of this magnitude. Its deeply experienced team has completed numerous projects of this nature and scale and is based in the area (Virginia / Maryland), giving them a keen understanding of the local geography and terrain and allows the team to carry out the installation with no guesswork, eliminating bottlenecks associated with permitting and terrain navigation challenges. Pair this with a longstanding relationship between DF&I and DUC, and Hylan becomes the obvious choice for the work.
“Creating true hyperscale infrastructure is complex with little to no margin for error. Choosing the right partner is absolutely critical when your business depends on delivering a best-in-class network that not only meets the customer demands of today but is future-proofed because of understanding the needs of tomorrow. Hylan has both the local knowledge and in-house resources needed to support a build of this magnitude and to carry it out on time and within budget.”
Analyzing The Problem
DF&I set out to build a brand new, 85-mile fiber build from Ashburn, Virginia,
through Arcola, and on to Manassas. This new fiber route brings additional
connectivity and scale to one of the world’s premier cloud and data center
markets. This will be the most direct, low latency, 100% underground
connection between the I-95 corridor south of Baltimore through Ashburn,
utilizing the unique Potomac River Crossing north of Ashburn. A new fiber
route is imperative to such a high-demand area, where creating diversity and
scalability contributes to global and national connection abilities.
Creating A Custom Solution
Hylan’s Down Under Construction (DUC) division has the experience and
local area knowledge necessary for a project of this magnitude. Its deeply
experienced team has performed numerous projects of this nature and
scale and is based in the area (Virginia / Maryland), giving them a keen
understanding of the local geography and terrain. This allows the team
to carry out the installation with no guesswork, eliminating bottlenecks
associated with permitting and terrain navigation challenges.
DF&I selected DUC as the prime contractor for the project, expanding the
companies’ existing relationship taking on projects in the Northern Virginia
and Baltimore area spanning over 20 years. The DUC team has been providing
the premium labor resources to successfully install the project’s conduit,
handholes and fiber optic cable to create the new route.
Overall, Down Under’s vast experience and knowledge has made this project a
success and further strengthens the company’s reputation as a market-leading
provider of specialized communications engineering and construction services.
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Download the Case Study
To read more about the project and learn how DUC and DF&I worked together to provide a diverse route to one of the fastest-growing data center and cloud markets in the country, download our case study today.