Internet Speed: 14.7 mbps downlink; 27.3 Mbps uplink

Population: 630,000

Internet Coverage: over 85% of residents

Main Internet Services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: Xfinity, FairPoint Communications, Sovernet

Colocation Datacenters: 4

According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in Vermont is 14.7 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 27.3 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Vermont was approximately 630,000. Over 85% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in Vermont are the following:

– Cable – over 90% coverage
– DSL – over 85% coverage
– Fiber – less than 50% coverage

Main Internet Services Providers established in Vermont are as follows:

– Xfinity (Cable) – over 90% availability
– FairPoint Communications (Cable) – over 80% availability
– Sovernet (DSL) – over 60% availability

Gigabit Internet in Vermont

Gigabit Internet is provided in select areas of Vermont. Burlington Telecom, the Burlington market leader, owns a fiber optic network which connects to thousands of homes, as well as multiple local businesses. The company provides their symmetrical gigabit service through this network.

Another telecom company, Vermont Telephone, provides 10Gbps Internet to residential customers located in select rural areas of Vermont, but the costs easily exceed $400 per month. Deploying the necessary infrastructure to turn this service into reality was possible through an $85 million award from the US Department of Agriculture. This company provides 10Gbps Internet services to businesses as well, but for substantially higher prices, exceeding $1000 per month.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 4 colocation datacenters established in Verment. Most datacenters are located in Burlington (3), followed by Stowe (1).

In Burlington, major colocation providers include:

– Firstlight Fiber
– Tech Vault, Inc.
– ClearBearing, Inc.

In Stowe, the only colocation provider is StoweVT.

Burlington Colocation Datacenters

The biggest colocation provider located in Burlington is FirstLight Fiber. Their main 20,000-square-foot datacenter specializes in providing wholesale and retail colocation services, in addition to miscellaneous disaster recovery, business continuity and backup solutions. The leasing space is divided into half-cabinets, full cabinets, and cage space. The facility features A&B power feeds with separate UPS units, FirstLight’s DWDM network allowing bulk transport options to New York, Boston, and connectivity to the rest of the globe, a multi-gigabit IP backbone, peered with multiple Tier 1 providers. Additionally, the datacenter provides carrier neutrality, having on-premise access to well over 10 telecommunications providers and other colocation companies.

Stowe Colocation Datacenters

The only colocation provider located in Stowe is StoweVt. They operate a small-sized datacenter that offers diverse colocation services to customers, in addition to fully-tailored solutions to small Vermont-based companies looking to get a private server online. The facility features redundant power, in addition to carrier neutrality.

Colocation Industry in Vermont

Vermont is currently regarded as an undeserved colocation market, in part due to the lack of substantial investments in colocation facilities, but also because the Internet infrastructure is somewhat outdated, barring select areas covered above.

Local Economy

The local economy is regarded as the slowest-growing in the United States, and is mostly driven by healthcare, retail, finance, insurance, and construction companies. Demand for colocation is driven by these fields.

Advantages & Disadvantages

Apart from its close proximity to the Eastern Seaboard states, the fiber optic network which actually links Vermont to these states, and the historically low risk for natural disasters, there are no readily apparent advantages for colocating in the region. According to a recent report published by 451 Research, Vermont ranks 4^th in the United States for overall electricity costs, which also reflect in the total costs for leasing space.