Bluebird Network Is Building Fiber and Growing Communities Throughout the Midwest

Data Center POST interview with James Taylor, CECP, Director – Carrier Services, Bluebird Network

By Contributing Editor Amber Anguish

James Taylor, CECP, Director – Carrier Services for Bluebird Network, a Midwest telecommunications company. James is a 28-year telecommunications industry veteran, with experience in Sales, Operations, Business Development, and Industry Relations for Lincoln Telephone Company, Aliant Communications, ALLTEL, Windstream, and his current company Bluebird Network, where he is the Director of Carrier Sales. Recently, Bluebird is in the process of joining the Independent Data Center Alliance (IND-DCA) along with Colocation Northwest, DataGryd, maincubes and the founding organizer, iMiller Public Relations. The companies will sign a letter of intent provided by iMiller Public Relations at a press conference at 12 PM EST in the press room at ITW.

With ITW 2019 fast approaching, we sat down to chat with James to talk about how Bluebird is solving its customer problems and what’s on the horizon for the company.

Data Center POST, Amber Anguish (DCP-AA) Question: Tell our readers about Bluebird Network and how it’s making a difference for customers?

Bluebird Network, James D. Taylor (BBN-JT) Answer: Bluebird Network provides transport and internet services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Midwest. We provide the same high-quality service to urban and rural areas and connect remote businesses to major metropolitan cities. We’re making a difference for businesses and underserved areas and bringing economic growth.

We also facilitate the Bluebird Underground Data Center, an underground data center in Springfield, Missouri that provides space, power and cooling for computer hardware and data. Bluebird Network provides the fiber transport and internet services to Bluebird Underground including multiple fiber paths and entrances into/out of the data center.

DCP-AA Q: Bluebird has built over 1,600 miles of fiber and is getting ready to do further expansion projects in the coming year. What do you attribute to your company’s success?

BBN-JT A: We are people helping people. Bluebird provides the perfect balance of unmatched customer support, the latest technology and the human connection provided by our employees to create a customized network solution that meets our customer’s broadband and data center requirements.

DCP-AA Q: What milestones did you achieve in the past year and how will these developments help your company keep up with the demands of the quickly growing and ever-changing telecommunications industry?

BBN-JT A: Bluebird Network, LLC (“Bluebird”) announced an intent to be acquired by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (“MIP”). This acquisition will allow Bluebird to accelerate its infrastructure growth and to position Bluebird for future growth in the Midwest and beyond. Another Bluebird milestone is that Bluebird Network celebrated its 20th anniversary on May 21st, 2019. Bluebird appreciates its customers and employees; both of which are the foundation for Bluebird’s success.

DCP-AA Q: What are you most looking forward to accomplishing over the next year as Bluebird transforms as a company? 

BBN-JT A: Bluebird continues to focus on strategic network expansion with several upcoming fiber expansions and densification projects throughout the Midwest over the next several years. MIP has shown their faith in the Bluebird employee team and are supportive of the Bluebird platform expansion plan. The Bluebird Underground Data Center is beginning its second expansion which will deliver increased space and power capacity to our customers.

DCP-AA Q: What do you think is the greatest challenge in the industry and how are you working to overcome it?

BBN-JT A: One of the greatest challenges to Bluebird Network, and indeed other service providers in our industry, is our desire to extend our fiber network into new areas that are starved for technology and bandwidth, yet lack the population or business community base to justify the expansion. We continue to partner with new companies and carriers to overcome these challenges.

DCP-AA Q: What new developments are on the horizon for Bluebird?

BBN-JT A: Bluebird Network recently announced our partnership with Megaport to enable private access to cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Nutanix, and Salesforce. This partnership with Megaport gives Bluebird Network customers unprecedented connectivity to each of these top-tier cloud computing and “as-a-service” providers.

In addition, Bluebird Network intends to enhance its network service offering with a SD-WAN product for our Enterprise customers. And a third phase expansion is already in the planning stage for the Bluebird Underground Data Center, for after the completion of our second phase expansion. And finally, Bluebird is joining the Independent Data Center Alliance (IND-DCA) during a press conference at ITW.

DCP-AA Q: Very exciting. What else would you like to accomplish at ITW 2019?

BBN-JT A: Bluebird Network strives to continue its ongoing business relationships with leading service providers in the industry, and expand our relationships into the circle of cloud and content providers with a combination of our network and data center service offerings. Our meetings at ITW in Atlanta will be focused on these goals.

DCP-AA:  Thanks so much for sharing insights about Bluebird Network with our readers chatting with us, James. James and the Bluebird team will be attending ITW 2019 in Atlanta from June 23-26, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency and Marriott Marquis hotels. To learn more, please visit www.bluebirdnetwork.com.

On Monday, June 24 during ITW 2019, Bluebird Networks will join Colocation Northwest, DataGryd, maincubes and the founding organizer, iMiller Public Relations, to sign a letter of intent forming the Independent Data Center Alliance during a  press conference at 12 PM EST in the ITW 2019 Press Room.

To attend the IND-DCA press conference and to participate in ITW 2019 as a member of the media please click here.  To request a meeting with Bluebird Network at ITW 2019 please email bluebird@imillerpr.com.

About Bluebird Network

Bluebird Network, headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, was formed by integrating Bluebird Media, Missouri Network Alliance, and Illinois Network Alliance.  In 2014, an underground data center was acquired and created Bluebird Underground, adding a data center facility to the Bluebird suite of services.  Today, the network has over 6,000 fiber route miles of high-speed broadband and fiber-optic connections.  The Bluebird fiber network also has over 135 Points of Presence (POP) sites spanning the Midwest, including the major cities of Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa, Omaha, Des Moines, and Memphis.  To learn more, please visit www.bluebirdnetwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.