Simultaneous to the rollout, Cogent completed a bandwidth expansion across its entire network from 10 Gbps to 80 Gbps, creating the nation's largest IP backbone. Since adding service to Los Angeles in August, Cogent has added service to Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, San Diego, Sacramento, and most recently, Seattle, completing its goal of being in 20 cities by the end of 2001.

"Cogent continues to remain committed to providing low price, ultra-high speed Internet connectivity to businesses located in major metropolitan areas throughout the country. Execution by the management team and staff has been critical, both in terms of lowering operating costs and meeting investor expectations. I applaud them for their tireless efforts thus far," said Dave Schaeffer, CEO and founder, Cogent Communications. "Looking forward, Cogent will continue to expand its footprint in these 20 cities while continuing to penetrate deeper into the customer base in buildings already on-network."

Cogent's price of $1000 for 100 Mbps has been instrumental in attracting customers, particularly small- and mid-sized businesses that wish to realize cost-savings. "The 'bang for the buck' simply can't be beat: no long term contract, no hidden fees, and 100 Mbps service at the same price point at which we had T-1 service. It was hard to find anything not to like," said Frank Whidden, director MIS at the Council on Foundations.

Also this year, Cogent was recognized as the first IP+Optical Cisco Powered Network, ensuring that customer access is delivered over a reliable and proven infrastructure.