Internet Speed: 34.2 Mbps downlink; 11.4 Mbps uplink

Population: 10 million

Internet Coverage: over 85% of residents

Main Internet services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: Time Warner, AT&T

Colocation Datacenters: 46

According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in North Carolina is 34.2 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 11.4 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of North Carolina was approximately 10 million. More than 85% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in North Carolina are as follows:

– Cable – over 90% coverage
– DSL – over 85% coverage
– Fiber – less than 15% coverage

Main Internet Service Providers located in North Carolina are the following:

– Time Warner Cable (Cable) – 90% availability
– AT&T (DSL) – 85% availability
– AT&T (Fiber) – 10% availability

Gigabit Internet in North Carolina

AT&T is currently among the very few large ISPs that offer gigabit Internet services to residential and business customers located across North Carolina. As of June 2016, this service is available in major cities, such as Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh-Durham, as well as Winston-Salem, provided through the AT&T-owned fiber network, to well over 20,000 customers.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 46 colocation datacenters located in North Carolina. Most datacenters are located in the biggest local city, Charlotte (22), followed by Raleigh (11), Greensboro (5), and Winston-Salem (2).

In Charlotte, the largest colocation providers are as follows:

– Digital Realty
– Lincoln Rackhouse
– Five 9s
– Peak 10, Inc.

Prominent Colocation Providers

Digital Realty is the largest colocation provider established in North Carolina, which operates a total of 3 facilities, all located in Charlotte. The biggest datacenter is the Telx CHR1, with a total square footage of over 25,000. The location features redundant UPS power and cooling equipment, a utility power capacity of 166 KW, a generator power capacity of 750 KW, and diverse fiber entry points into the building. Additionally, the facility provides carrier neutrality, with unconditioned access to over 5 ISPs and other local colocation providers, ensuring reliability of service.

Colocation Industry in North Carolina

North Carolina is not one of the most active colocation markets in the United States, but current trends do indicate moderate growth relative to surrounding markets. The local presence of million-dollar colocation providers, such as Digital Realty, tw telecom, as well as Level 3 Communications, are all good indicators as to what can be expected in the future when it comes to colocation.

Advantages of Colocation

There are several advantages of co-locating to this state, and they are as follows:

– close proximity to Virginia, New York, and New Jersey;
– low electricity cost ($0.66/kWh);
– rapid growth in the banking & finance industry, which currently drives much of the colo demand.

Disadvantages of Colocation

Unfortunately, however, there are also notable disadvantages:

– high risk of natural disasters (5th in the country, according to epa.gov);
– rather underdeveloped technical infrastructure, with no clear prospects for betterment;
– no datacenter-friendly legislation to attract more consistent private investments
– substantial lack of IT experts