What are the different types of commercial developments in a “Meet-Me Street” network?

The Inner Belt in Somerville, Massachusetts has long been a home to colocation services in Boston. The area used to attract primarily enterprise colocation and hosting businesses, but was largely neglected for network connectivity. Previously, new growth was only possible by data centers in the area tethering connectivity from carrier hotels.

In 2023, TOWARDEX opened the Hub Express System (HEX), America’s first large-scale underground multi-conduit "Meet-Me Street" network, with zero recurring cross connect fees.

Since the opening of the HEX system, over a dozen new long-haul, hyperscaler, international, and global IP networks are now building their new presence at Inner Belt, signaling a sudden and rapid change in network gravity that was never seen before in Boston since 2006.

💡 So, what does commercial development for a Meet-Me Street look like, to change the status quo and get networks to expand to a new community of interconnected data centers and networks?

Commercial activities involving the HEX system are broken down into two major categories: Landside Development ("LD") and Wayside Development ("WD").

Landside Development (LD)

LD covers all capital improvement and tenant development activities involving private properties (abutters) connected to the HEX conduit system.  Its activities include:

• Working with land owners to develop neutral open-access entrances into their buildings. Real-estate related negotiations such as easement/wayleaves, cost sharing, etc. fall under this category. (Example: 🗎 Guide to Open Access Lateral)
• Helping land owners maximize their in-building connectivity potential and colocation business growth.  This includes working with the abutter to develop ready-made facilities to ease cable installations from the HEX system, offering low-cost tethering fibers to the streets, and jointly developing commercial incentives and offers in conjunction with Wayside Development to drive new colocation business and growth at the property.

Wayside Development (WD)

WD covers all activities occurring in public ways and right-of-way infrastructures hosting the HEX conduit system.  Its responsibilities include:

• Working with municipalities and agency partners to maximize and advocate for our tenants’ ease of network access and scalability, while minimizing impact to the communities we serve.  Route developments, negotiating with other utilities for accommodations & relocations to support HEX installs, streamlined permitting for tenant access, joint trench and community improvements, etc. all fall under WD.

• Democratizing network access for non-LEC networks.  A major role of WD is making it easier for non-LEC telecoms to develop their own dark fiber in the HEX system.  Non-LEC telecoms include international networks, IP transit providers, hyperscalers and content providers, many of which previously have not owned any terrestrial fiber cables in Boston.
• Turn-key Network Infrastructure and Hosted Dark Fiber would represent some of the most profitable commercial activities at HEX, enabling non-LEC networks to access the streets at affordable costs and develop their own cross connect solutions using dark fiber. (Example: 🔗 Turn Key Network Infrastructure)

Driving new business for tenant carriers:

Perhaps the most important role of Wayside Development in the HEX system is fueling of the ecosystem growth.  This involves development of business opportunities to entice new carriers to want to build into HEX, and then snowball it forward, such as:

• Connecting and making meaningful introductions between carriers and non-LEC tenants at the HEX system, including briefing of point-of-sale mechanisms, overview of each carrier's network & products, etc.  Ensuring that all tenants know whom to contact at each carrier and being an extension of the sales team for each participating carrier is the main responsibility of WD.
• Eliminating pains of outside plant interconnections, by installing pre-built pathways that are ready for tenant's immediate use, and providing splicing support to ensure valid facility assignments and LOAs by carriers. (Example: 🗎 Fiber Optic Exchange)
• Tenant development activities for HEX member carriers to drive new revenue. Collaborating with HEX members to develop new promotions and offers to increase interconnection activity—this also involves cash offers to incentivize new network constructions in the HEX system, where portion of costs are either paid for by TOWARDEX or waived entirely to support a new carrier entry into the Meet-Me Street.
• Where TOWARDEX is the buyer of telecom services (including circuits for customers), contracts are almost always awarded to HEX members ahead of non-participants.
• Another example is offering of TOWARDEX ’s blended IP product at $350/month for 10Gbps exclusively only for HEX members.  This was developed in response to feedback from a carrier who wanted to use HEX to commercially offer a competitor’s ISP service (i.e. to offer a second ISP option to their customer) through their existing network and bypass carrier hotel costs. (🗎 Wholesale IP Solutions for Service Providers)

Supporting operational excellence for HEX tenants:

Customers regularly need access to technical expertise to maintain their fiber connections.  Providing 24/7 access to fiber optic technicians and support contracts allows HEX tenants to troubleshoot and build new connections without having to independently hire outside contractors.  This significantly eases operational processes, lowers costs, and gives our tenants a peace of mind and confidence for scaling their interconnections out in the streets.

Combining the strengths of Wayside and Landside Developments is crucial to deliver success.

In summary, to use John A. Danko ’s analogy, all of this sounds awfully like running an international airport, because well, that’s precisely what this is, except that it's for telecom developments.

In Boston’s Inner Belt, streets outside are now generating their own network gravity, driving new colocation sales to connected properties.

To use Connor Reinfurt ’s words, this gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “You wanna take this outside?” in the business of telecommunications and data centers.

💬 With that, I’m heading to Capacity - a techoraco brand 's #ITW2025 to do some new Wayside Developments of my own, with our carrier partners building into the HEX system!  See you there!