Spectrum Business Enterprise Solutions, the commercial services unit of Charter Communications, said it has achieved Carrier Ethernet 2.0  certification from the Metro Ethernet Forum.

The achievement, also achieved by fellow operators such as Cox Communications, RCN, Comcast and Time Warner Cable, ensures that Spectrum Business Enterprise Solutions is up to snuff on 2.0 attributes in areas of standards, scalability, reliability, quality of service and service management.

Spectrum Business Enterprise Solutions said it has nearly 100 Carrier Ethernet Certified Professionals (MEF-CECP), an expert-level certification offered by the Metro Ethernet Forum to individuals.

"Achieving MEF 2.0 certification is an essential proof point for Spectrum Business carrier-class Ethernet services," said Cynthia Carpenter, vice president of commercial product management for Charter, in a statement.  "We are proud to have attained this important certification and look forward to continually serving business customers with enterprise-grade network and communications services."

As of mid-2015, Charter was in the “Challenge Tier” of Vertical Systems Group’s U.S. Carrier Ethernet Leaderboard, which designates providers that have between 1% and 4% share of the U.S. retail Ethernet market. Others in that group include Bright House Networks, Cogent, Lightpath (Cablevision Systems),  Windstream and Zayo.

AT&T topped all providers as of mid-2015, followed by Level 3 Communications, Verizon Communications, CenturyLink, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, XO and Cox.

Charter will move up substantially following its proposed acquisitions of TWC and  Bright House.

RCN Business, the commercial services arm of RCN, said it has upgraded its Ethernet network backbone to include 100 Gigabit per second links.

With the upgrade, RCN Business, a Metro Ethernet Forum 2.0 certified carrier, said it can now scale its Ethernet services from 3 Mbps to 100 Gbps.

RCN Business is using the platform to target small- and medium-sized businesses and enterprises in markets  such as Boston; Chicago; Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley, Pa.; Washington, D.C.; and New York  City. RCN is battling in a highly competitive marketplace. 

AT&T, Level 3, Verizon, CenturyLink, Time  Warner Cable, Comcast, XO and Cox Communications topped Vertical Systems Group’s Carrier Ethernet Services leaderboard for mid-year 2015.  Bright House Networks, Charter Communications,  Cogent, Cablevision Systems’s Lightpath, Windstream and Zayo made up the “challenge” tier, which lists providers with between 1% and 4% share of the U.S. retail Ethernet market.

RCN Business, which offers a suite of Ethernet services spanning E-Line, E-LAN and E-Access,  made Vertical Systems’s “market player’ tier, which factors in all providers with port share below 1%.

Comcast Business today will reach more California-based SMBs with afer extending its fiber-based network to the San Ramon business park, which is home to more than 167 commercial tenants. 

Comcast Business said it has installed more than 1.5 miles of fiber (a mix of underground and aerial plant) there to the business community on the west side of Interstate 680, north of Deerwood Road. The network expansion, the result of a $250,000 investment, will provide businesses there with Ethernet capacity up to 10 Gbps, the operator said. 

Comcast Business’s fiber network now spans 140,000 miles and ties into a 100 Gbps backbone.

Business services continue to be a bright spot for the MSO.  Comcast pulled in business services revenues of $1.2 billion in the category, up 19.5% year-over-year, putting it on an annual run rate approaching $5 billion.

On yesterday’s earnings call, Comcast SVP and CFO Michael Cavanagh said more than 70% of those revenues are coming from small businesses, adding that the MSO is seeing an increase in businesses from mid-sized commercial customers.

“If you look under the hood at many of the businesses we’re targeting, they resemble an aggregation of small businesses --  those with brand systems such as banks, retailers, and restaurant chains,” he said. “In these cases, the needs of the local branches look very much like the small and medium-sized business customers we serve so well today.”

He added that Comcast is in the “early stages” of pursuing deals with larger enterprise businesses.  Comcast announced last month that it had formed a new unit that will target Fortune 1000 companies, underpinned by network agreements with fellow MSOs such as Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Mediacom Communications, Cox Communications and Cablevision Systems.

Comcast Business said it now reaches 700 more local businesses in the Twin Cities following a $3.1 million investment that helped it to expand the reach of its fiber network backbone there. 

The investment extends that network, which provides up to 10 Gbps, to businesses along Nicollet Mall, Eagan, Osseo, Chaska, Lake Elmo and Plymouth, the MSO said, noting that the expansion is hitting retail, commercial and industrial projects in those areas.

Comcast estimates that it about 90,000 businesses in the Twin  Cities are now passed by its fiber and  HFC network.

“As Twin Cities companies increasingly compete with the rest of the world, it’s critical they have access to technology that will help them run their business and serve their customers as efficiently and effectively as possible,” said Kalyn Hove, vice president, Comcast Business - Twin Cities, in a statement.   “Comcast Business products are designed to provide the kind of flexibility and scalability to help businesses of all sizes adapt to the rapidly changing world of commerce, backed by dependable reliability.” 

In the second quarter, business services revenues at Comcast rose 20.4%, to $1.2 billion. Comcast said it has achieved a penetrate rate of 25% for small businesses, and is approaching 10% for mid-sized businesses. 

Comcast recently launched new division that targets Fortune 1000 companies.

Comcast Business said it has moved ahead on a “major expansion” of its fiber network to the Meyers Business Park in Chico, Calif., that will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony later today.

Comcast said it installed more than 3.5 miles of fiber, both underground and aerial, from its existing lines to the business park and its 166 businesses.  The high-performance fiber network will provide the businesses with Internet services up to 10 Gbps.The expansion comes as a result of a more than $350,000 investment from Comcast, the MSO said.

Businesses with access to the expansion will be able to connect to Comcast’s Ethernet services portfolio,  including Ethernet Dedicated Internet, Ethernet Private Line, Ethernet Virtual Private Line and Ethernet Network Services that provide Internet access, point-to-point, and point-to-multipoint connectivity at bandwidth that scales up to 10 Gbps. They’ll also have access to VoiceEdge, a cloud-based voice and unified communications solution from Comcast Business.

“Scalable, secure, high-performance network services continue to increase in importance for companies of all sizes. Comcast’s investment in the Chico area will help drive innovation in agriculture, construction and other industries in our region,” said Mark Sorenson, mayor, City of Chico, in a statement. 

Business services continue to be a growth engine at Comcast. In the second quarter, business servcies revenues rose 20.4%, to $1.2 billion. Comcast said it has achieved a penetrate rate of 25% for small businesses, and is approaching 10% for mid-sized businesses. 

Comcast Business retained its spot as the fastest-growing Ethernet provider in the U.S. in 2014, matching the distinction the MSO achieved in 2013, according to new data from Vertical Systems Group.

Comcast's business services unit pulled in $1.05 billion in revenues in the fourth quarter of 2014, and $3.9 billion for the full-year, up 22% versus 2013. The bulk of those revenues are still coming way of smaller business served off of Comcast’s hybrid fiber/coax networks and not yet from its fiber-based Metro Ethernet platform.

Speaking on the MSO’s fourth quarter call on Tuesday (Feb. 24), Comcast Cable president and CEO Neil Smit said Comcast Business is enjoying about 25% penetration in the small- and mid-sized commercial services sector, and about 5% in the mid-market, the area that the MSO is targeting with MetroE. Comcast has also developed an “Ethernet @Home” service that runs off of HFC to serve smaller business customers. 

As for the broader Ethernet market, AT&T was the top U.S. Ethernet provider in 2014, according to Vertical Systems Group’s new leaderboard, followed by Level 3 (aided by its acquisition of tw telecom last year), Verizon Communications, CenturyLink, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox, and XO Communications.

Providers in Vertical Systems Group’s “Challenge Tier,” which include companies with 1% to 4% share of the U.S. retail Ethernet market, include Charter Communications, Cogent, Lightpath (Cablevisions Systems), Windstraem and Zayo.

Vertical Systems bases its rankings on billable retail port installations.