Internet Speed: 15 Mbps downlink; 3 Mbps uplink

Population: 840,000

Internet Coverage: over 95% of residents

Main Internet Services: Cable, DSL, Fiber

Main Internet Service Providers: Time  Warner Cable, AT&T, WOW!

Colocation Datacenters: 23 (prominent companies: Cologix, zColo)

Web Hosting Providers: HostExcellence, IXWebHosting Supremebytes, DedicatedSolutions

According to Akamai.com, the average Internet downlink speed in Columbus is 15 Mbps and the average uplink speed is 3 Mbps.

In 2016, the population of Columbus was approximately 840,000. Over 95% of residents have access to the Internet, especially broadband connections.

Main Internet services provided in Columbus are as follows:

– Cable – over 90% coverage
– DSL – over 85% coverage
– Fiber – less than 20% coverage

Main Internet Service Providers located in Columbus are the following:

– Time Warner Cable (Cable) – over 90% availability
– AT&T (DSL) – over 86% availability
– WOW! (Cable) – over 85% availability

Gigabit Internet in Columbus

In October 2016, AT&T was the first company to roll out gigabit Internet to residential customers in Columbus. This initiative was and is still part of a national plan meant to provide better Internet speeds in cities and states where this company operates. In doing so, AT&T competes with other major gigabit Internet providers, such as Google Fiber, CenturyLink and Comcast. Time Warner Cable has also shown moderate interest in broadening their offering to gigabit services, but no concrete plans have been released in this matter.

According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 23 colocation datacenters located in Columbus. Prominent companies include the following:

– Patrick Solutions, Inc.
– Cologix
– WOW!
– RackSquared, LLC.
– zColo

Prominent Colocation Providers & Datacenters

One of the biggest colocation providers located in Columbus is Cologix. This company operates the two largest facilities in Central Ohio, conveniently located at the convergence point of the long-haul fiber crossroads and the regional carrier fiber networks in Central Ohio. Additionally, both facilities provide carrier neutrality, being connected to well over 40 telecommunications providers and other colocation providers established in the area. The networks in Cologix’s Meet-Me-Room (MMR) represent international backbones as well as regional fiber networks, linking global content to Ohio’s enterprises and consumers.

Another important colocation provider located in Columbus is zColo. They operate a single carrier-neutral facility, which specializes in providing wholesale and retail colocation services. The facility is sought after mostly by customers looking for disaster recovery solutions, due to the city’s close proximity to other emerging markets.

Colocation Market in Columbus

Columbus is currently regarded as an emerging market, but current trends indicate that this situation might change soon enough if investments keep being poured into the city at the same rate. Columbus benefits from the presence of many national colocation providers, such as Cologix and zColo. In general, these companies are attracted by Columbus’ central position within Ohio, in addition to the state’s close proximity to other top or emerging markets, such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey.

Demand for Colocation

Demand for colocation services is driven mostly by local customers looking for local solutions, but the market is also preferred by customers looking for cheaper markets in comparison with New York and/or New Jersey, for example.

Advantages – FiberNet

Furthermore, Ohio is one of the most fiber-connected states in the U.S. In particular, Central Ohio has an added infrastructure benefit, due to the presence of FiberNet, which is an underground fiber conduit system that circles the city of Columbus. However, this network is not actually made available to residential customers due to regional and property-based legal monopolies, and is mostly used by large-sized companies.

Advantages – Climate

Because of its centralized position, Columbus also benefits from climatic advantages. Winters are cold and summers are relatively mild, which means that datacenters can take advantage of hours of free cooling throughout the year. Southern and Northeastern Ohio have always been particularly problematic from a hazard standpoint, but Central Ohio is usually avoided by natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes. This is one of the main reasons Central Ohio is the local colocation hub.

Major web hosting companies located in Columbus are the following:

– HostExcellence
– IXWebhosting
– Supremebytes
– DedicatedSolutions

All the companies that we have reviewed provide core hosting services, such as Shared, VPS or Dedicated Hosting, in addition to a wide array of other services meant to boost your website performance, marketed under different terms. Most companies cater to a local clientele exclusively, while the rest have a solid presence nationally, as well as internationally. No company operates its own datacenter, but lease space in facilities owned by diverse providers, such as Cologix or zColo.