Lumen quadrupled network capacity throughout Latin America in 2020

To continue supporting the strong demand in Internet traffic driven by video and gaming platforms, Lumen nearly quadrupled the capacity of its Content Distribution Network (CDN) in Latin America, strengthening service capabilities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru.

“Lumen knows the best networks are the result of early and on-going investments; this is what sets us apart,” said Leonardo Barbero, Lumen LATAM senior Vice President of products. “Expanding our networks throughout LATAM is what has enabled us to seamlessly transit information across the peaks of demand generated by the pandemic. Throughout 2020, we reinvested to be prepared for a phenomenon that will continue to grow.”

 Latin America network expansions include:

• Mexico – Tripled the current amount of fiber route miles to 2237 miles
• Ecuador – Added a 500-mile fiber optic route connecting to Colombia, and a 600-mile national fiber ring
• Chile – Added an additional 34 fiber route miles connecting 200 corporate buildings in Greater Santiago
• Argentina – Added 112 fiber route miles between the provinces of Mendoza and San Juan 
• Brazil – Added more than 280 fiber route miles between the northeast of the country, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro

Lumen is also increasing its Content Delivery Network (CDN) capacity to meet growing demands from global broadcasters, over the top (OTT) video streaming platforms and gaming companies to deliver high-performing web applications, ultra-high-definition (UHD) video streaming and game downloads. In addition, Lumen added more than 260 racks into its data centers in Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Argentina during 2020, offering customers additional space for housing servers, networking devices and other computing equipment.

“Our top goal is to stay on top of new network demands and continuously deliver robust, high-quality services across our network infrastructure, with maximum security,” noted Barbero. “As demand increases, becomes more complex or changes, our platform will adapt to ensure we’re offering the best digital experience possible.”

According to data from Statista, the streaming entertainment market saw a turnover of more than US$50 billion in 2020 and will continue growing at 10.7% annually to US$85 billion in 2025.