By: Ilissa Miller, Featured Contributor

The 2016 INCOMPAS Show, (formerly known as COMPTEL PLUS), which took place April 10-13 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, D.C., was a “who’s who” of companies and communications professionals from around the world that are shaping the future of the Internet. This year’s streamlined conference was specifically designed to facilitate company growth through an expansion of existing business networks, meeting rooms, educational presentations, keynote speakers, social events and an exposition hall. During this year’s successful event, I had the opportunity to meet with a score of influential thought-leaders and executives to learn more about how their companies are driving innovation.

EdgeConnexA member of INCOMPAS, EdgeConneX® attended this year’s show and connected with like-minded industry professionals as they continue their mission to provide purpose-built, power dense and edge of network Edge Data Centers® and wireless solutions that enable the fastest delivery of content to end-users. Recently, EdgeConneX entered into a new partnership with DQE Communications, the Pittsburgh metro area’s leading provider of data networking services, which delivers more resilient Internet connectivity to the region’s enterprises. Earlier this month, leading fiber-based infrastructure provider Lumos Networks announced the extension of its fiber connectivity into the EdgeConneX Norfolk facility, maximizing Internet performance for end-users by bringing connectivity closer to the edge.

FiberLight LogoAlso a member of INCOMPAS, high-performance fiber-optic network solutions provider FiberLight participated as a Meeting Room Sponsor while continuing its mission to expand network connectivity for enterprises, communications providers and government agencies throughout the United States. Most recently, FiberLight announced its partnership with Carrier-1 Data Centers, one of the largest data center facilities in North Texas, in order to deliver secure and reliable fiber connectivity from Carrier-1’s Dallas data center to Infomart Dallas, the hub of connectivity for the Southern U.S. and one of the most connected carrier-neutral data centers in the nation.

GC LogoJoining FiberLight and EdgeConneX as an INCOMPAS member, Global Capacity also served as a Meeting Room Sponsor during The 2016 INCOMPAS Show. Following their recent announcement of new Chief Technology Officer, Tony Thakur, the leading connectivity as a service company introduced its Wireless Backup with managed failover service across a nationwide 4G LTE wireless footprint for customers using Global Capacity for their primary access services.

INOC 2015 Logo 1-line Tag-BlackAlso in attendance at The 2016 INCOMPAS Show was 24×7 Network Operations Center (NOC) and global provider of technology infrastructure monitoring, reporting and support services, INOC. The show provided the ideal opportunity for company representatives to tout the successes of INOC’s Optical Network Services (ONS) division, while eluding to an exciting announcement regarding the growth of the company’s NOC services to be released this May.

Spread NetworksPrivately-owned telecommunications provider, Spread Networks, shared intel with attendees about their high-bandwidth solutions encompassing Ultra-Low Latency Services, Dark Fiber, Wavelength and Colocation for carrier customers’ growing needs, including inter-city bandwidth in the Northeast. Setting a new standard for latency diversity and reliability, Spread Networks provides customers with a state-of-the-art, diverse and secure fiber optic network between New York and Chicago.

ZenFi LogoClosing out our survey of innovative companies in attendance at The 2016 INCOMPAS Show, ZenFi, New York’s carrier-neutral fronthaul fiber provider, discussed the shifting landscape of network infrastructure and modern wireless technologies, including small cells, Cloud-RAN (C-RAN), Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS), and macro sites throughout the New York metro area. Offering a custom-built network to support densification and increase accessibility and affordability of bandwidth at the edge, ZenFi delivers a scalable fiber solution that enhances wireless carrier networks while enabling the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT).