Internet speed: 31.7 Mbps downlink; 6.7 Mbps uplink

Population: 4.5 million

Internet coverage: 85% of residents

Main Internet services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: Time Warner Cable, AT&T, Cincinnati Bell

Colocation Datacenters: 14

Colocation Market: Secondary

According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in Kentucky is 31.7 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 6.7 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Kentucky was roughly 4.5 million. Over 85% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in Kentucky are as follows:

– Cable – 90% coverage
– DSL – 84% coverage
– Fiber – less than 15% coverage

Main Internet Service Providers established in Kentucky are the following:

– Time Warner Cable (Cable) – 90% availability
– AT&T (DSL) – 85% availability
– Cincinnati Bell (Fiber) – less than 5% availability

Gigabit Internet in Kentucky

Gigabit Internet services are scarcely available in Kentucky, as demonstrated by the very low penetration rate of only 9.5%. AT&T is among the very few providers that offer gigabit Internet to their residential and business customers, provided mostly through existing coaxial copper lines, but also fiber-optic lines where possible.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 14 colocation datacenters established in Kentucky. Most datacenters are located in Louisville (9), while the rest are distributed across smaller cities, such as Ashland, Hopkinsville, and Lexington respectively.

In Louisville, important colocation providers include the following:

– Cogent Communications, Inc.
– BluegrassNet
– tw telecom
– nGenX
– Davey Holdings, LLC.

Prominent Colocation Providers – Cogent Communications

One of the largest colocation providers located in Kentucky is Cogent Communications. This company operates a 1,500-square-foot facility located in a favorable area in Louisiana, and provides retail colocation services to a wide array of customers. The datacenter enables access to cages, suites, and rack cabinets. Amenities include: 60KVA MGE UPS system, 15-ton Liebert HVAC unit, APC 60Kw PDU, along with many others. The datacenter is carrier neutral, with on-premise access to major telecoms and other carrier hotels located in close proximity.

Prominent Colocation Providers – BluegrassNet

Another prominent colocation provider located in Kentucky is BluegrassNet. This company owns a state-of-the-art facility that offers retail colocation. The datacenter enables access to rack cabinets, suites, and cages, along with many others. Amenities include: N+1 Leibert diesel generators, Cisco core infrastructure, redundant and multi-homed gigabit Internet connectivity. Carrier neutrality is ensured by means of access to key telecoms and other colocation providers located in close proximity.

Colocation Industry in Kentucky

Kentucky is regarded as a secondary colocation market, which can be taken as a significant improvement when compared to the previous years, when there were not too many colocation providers established in the region, and therefore not too much supply for colocation space. However, massive investments are still absent, and current market trends indicate that this situation will most likely remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Advantages for Colocation

This market boasts a series of advantages for colocation:

– the state’s small size which reduces latency significantly
– relatively low natural disaster risk
– great weather for datacenters

Disadvantages for Colocation

Disadvantages for colocation are as follows:

– rather underdeveloped technical infrastructure
– scarce supply for colocation space
– not many datacenter tax breaks to encourage further private investment