Internet Speed: 65 Mbps downlink; 8.9 Mbps uplink

Population: 5,5 million

Main Internet Services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: CenturyLink, Comcast, Xfinity

Colocation Datacenters: 42 (prominent companies: ViaWest, Digital Realty, CoreSite)

According to Akamai.com, the average downlink Internet speed in Colorado is 65 Mbps while the average upload speed is 8.9 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Colorado was approximately 5,5 million. More than 95% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

The main Internet services provided in Colorado are as follows:

– Cable – over 90% coverage
– DSL – Over 80% coverage
– Fiber – less than 20% coverage

The main Internet Service Providers located in Colorado are the following:

– CenturyLink – over 90% availability
– Comcast – over 80% availability
– Xfinity – over 75% availability
– Charter Spectrum – over 70% availability

Gigabit Internet in Colorado

In May 2017, Comcast, one of the biggest players in the local Internet market, announced that they would start rolling out gigabit Internet services to residential customers located all across the state. In nearly all cities, this service is delivered through existing coaxial cable lines, the only exception being Denver, whose Internet infrastructure mostly consists of fiber-optic cables. Although many companies have shown interest in offering gigabit Internet, only a few ISPs actually provide it, including NextLight in Longmont, and CenturyLink in select Denver neighborhoods.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 42 colocation datacenters located in Colorado. Most datacenters are established in Denver (36), the rest being concentrated in Colorado Springs (4), followed by Fort Collins (1) and Loveland (1).

– ViaWest, Inc.
– Digital Realty
– CoreSite
– Level 3 Communications
– Clear Channel Satellite
– XO Communications

Prominent Colocation Providers & Datacenters

One of the biggest colocation providers located in Colorado is ViaWest, whose main datacenters are built in Denver. Their biggest Denver-based facility is the Wazee Datacenter, which offers over 6,000 square feet of raised floor space, redundant UPS power equipment, as well as an energy-efficient cooling system. The datacenter also offers carrier neutrality, with access to over 29 telecommunications carriers and other colocation providers established in Denver.

Another important colocation provider located in Colorado is CoreSite. This company operates two different facilities located in downtown Denver: DE1 and DE2.

The DE1 datacenter is a 15,000-square-foot facility which provides wholesale and retail colocation services. Deployment options include cages, in addition to full, half and 1/3 cabinets, and enclosures. The datacenter is also carrier-neutral, with access to over 60 regional and national carriers, which ensure network resiliency and a variety of opportunities for customer interconnection.

On the other hand, the DE2 datacenter is a 5,100-square-foot facility which provides wholesale and retail colocation services. Deployment options include full, half and quarter cabinets, in addition to a wide variety of enclosures. The facility features N and 2N UPS power equipment. Additionally, the datacenter provides access to multiple cloud providers, including Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, CoreSite OpenCloud.

Colocation Industry in Colorado

Colorado is one of the most thriving colocation markets in the United States, surpassed only by states such as Texas, New York or Virginia, and only continues to flourish as we speak. The state has been flooded with the advent of many multi-million-dollar companies, such as Digital Realty and ViaWest, who have contributed to increasing the datacenter space from a few thousand square feet to over 3 million in the Denver area alone, most of it dedicated to colocation.

Advantages – Price For Colocation

Colorado benefits from its centralized position, being surrounded by other colocation hubs, such as Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. This state has a tremendous advantage over the aforementioned markets in what concerns the actual costs for leased space. According to a CRBE study, Colorado provides some of the most cost-effective options for leasing datacenter space. At the opposite end of the spectrum lay states such as New York, New Jersey and Northern Virginia. To put into perspective, while the average power rate can go up to as much as 13 cents per hour in New York, it does not exceed 7 cents per hour in Colorado. In other words, if someone were to opt for colocation services in New York, it might end up costing him twofold than if he were to opt for colocation services in Colorado.

Advantages – Climate

Another advantage that Colorado has over surrounding markets is its relatively favorable climate for datacenters. The climate in this state can be characterized primarily as being calm, cool, free from inclement weather such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, and other severe storms.

Tax Incentives

There is also potential for datacenter tax incentives. In early 2015, the local legislature tried to pass a bill which would have granted funds amounting to as much as $3 million per company for the purchase of datacenter equipment. Although the bill itself was not successful, it did manage to incentivize more companies to build in the area.