Lumen Accelerates Multi-Billion-Dollar Network Expansion to Meet Soaring AI Demand
Progress in 2025 includes millions of new fiber miles, significant added network capacity, and coast-to-coast build momentum
Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) today announced significant progress in its multi-year effort to build the backbone for the AI economy. With construction underway coast-to-coast, Lumen is moving forward a multi-billion-dollar build with plans to add 34 million new intercity fiber miles by the end of 2028, for a total of 47 million intercity fiber miles. The company has already delivered millions of new fiber miles, network capacity upgrades and high-speed connectivity enhancements in 2025, building the network infrastructure enterprises need to power their AI workloads.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250922339741/en/
Infographic: Lumen accelerates multi-billion-dollar network expansion to meet soaring AI demand
"AI is fueling a surge in network demand like we've never seen, and Lumen is building the backbone to meet it," said Kye Prigg, executive vice president, enterprise operations, Lumen Technologies. "This isn't incremental – we plan to more than double the size of our U.S. network. We're positioning Lumen as the trusted network for AI, ensuring our customers have the network scale, speed, and reliability to confidently innovate and grow without constraints."
2025 milestones on the road to 47 million intercity fiber miles1:
- Deployed New Fiber: Added more than 2.2 million new intercity fiber miles (2,500+ route miles) and projected to reach 16.6 million total intercity fiber miles by year end. Lumen is utilizing next-generation fiber optic cable from Corning Incorporated to fit two times more fiber into existing conduit.
- Constructed Signal Boosters: Construction efforts underway at 176 In-Line Amplifier (ILA) sites. ILA shelters built on these sites serve as giant signal boosters along the Lumen network with up to triple the power density compared to traditional ILA shelters and are designed to be updated, renewed, and scaled for the future.
- Expanded Conduit Access: Completed IRU conduit deployments across 55 additional routes expanding Lumen's ability to add and control fiber on these routes by securing long-term rights to underground pathways.
- Increased Network Capacity: Added 5.9+ Pbps of total capacity to the Lumen network so far this year, preparing to deliver the bandwidth needed to handle large volumes of data processing.
-
Extended Faster Speeds: Earmarked more than $100 million to bring high-speed connectivity up to 400Gbps across clouds, data centers, and metros, creating a more seamless, high-performance pipeline for AI workloads. The Lumen 400G-enabled network now spans more than 100,000 route miles.
Lumen Private Connectivity Fabric (PCF) is designed for AI workloads. By using fiber with 25% less optical loss than competitors2 and 60% more capacity than traditional designs, PCF helps move data more efficiently and at greater scale. The Lumen network achieves latency less than five milliseconds at the edge, covering up to 97% of U.S. business demand. And with diverse routes connecting more than 50 major cities, Lumen operates the largest ultra-low-loss intercity fiber network in North America.
"Every mile of new fiber and capacity upgrade adds to the strength of our Private Connectivity Fabric. Lumen is doing more than expanding infrastructure, we're laying the foundation for the AI economy," added Prigg.
Discover how Lumen is executing its Big Build
-
Check out the three-part docuseries:
- Episode 1: https://youtu.be/20AkovPqs9M
- Episode 2: https://youtu.be/4aKd-dvgv5k
- Episode 3: https://youtu.be/ual6CBssdm4
- See photos from our Big Build: Press Resource Center | Lumen
- B-roll: Press Resource Center | Lumen
Learn more about Lumen network investments
- Network Investments | Lumen
- Lumen - Lumen Sets a New Standard for Enterprise Connectivity Speed with RapidRoutes
- Lumen - Lumen Turbocharges Data Centers with Up To 400Gbps Connectivity to Fuel AI
- Lumen - Lumen Surpasses 1,000 Customers on Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Platform
- Lumen - Corning and Lumen Reach Supply Agreement on Next-Generation Fiber-Optic Cable to Support Data Center AI Demands
1 – All figures as of 9/1/25 |
2- 25% less fiber optic loss per km; less loss translates to less frequent need for fiber optic signal regeneration, decreasing equipment costs; figure is based on a comparison to vintage 2000 fiber (decrease from .22 db/km loss to.17 db/km). |
About Lumen Technologies
Lumen is unleashing the world's digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI's full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers' needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, X: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies, and YouTube: /lumentechnologies
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results, are based on our current expectations only and are subject to various uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated by us in these statements due to several factors, including those referenced in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250922339741/en/
Courtney Morton
[email protected]
8012380228