Cogent Columbus: 0.1MW 5th Street Colocation Facility

Status: Operational | Location: 240 N 5th Street, Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215, USA

Project Overview

Cogent Communications' downtown Columbus facility operates as a vital local network point-of-presence and highly secure retail colocation node within the competitive Ohio digital infrastructure market. Spanning a functional footprint of approximately 5,400 square feet, this specialized utility space is architecturally optimized to deliver high-capacity Ethernet transport, secure corporate transit, and scalable rack space configurations directly to small and medium enterprises, regional carriers, and local digital content providers. The interior footprint features an anti-static raised floor configuration that allows all network routing paths, diverse data cabling runs, and main copper or fiber power distributions to be run cleanly beneath the surface. This structural layout provides optimal tenant space flexibility, straightforward post-deployment maintenance access, and rapid asset configuration scaling. Operating within a broader multi-tenant commercial structure, the data center relies on highly secure physical entry partitions to isolate the mission-critical hardware bays. This layout provides enterprise tenants with full on-net access to Cogent's expansive global Tier-1 all-optical IP internet backbone. By utilizing pre-configured 39U server cabinets with customized utility access corridors, this local data hub bridges localized enterprise infrastructure directly with vast transcontinental networks, avoiding complex transit hops and ensuring high-availability network transport across the Midwest.

Quick Facts

Field	Value
Project Name	Cogent Columbus: 0.1MW 5th Street Colocation Facility
Location	240 N 5th Street, Suite 210, Columbus, Ohio 43215, USA
Status	Operational
Commissioning	H2 2012
Total IT Load	0.1 MW
Total Capacity	0.1 MW (Focused on localized telecom routing and retail colocation footprint)
Tier Level	Tier II Compliant System Standards
Project Type	Retail Colocation & Point-of-Presence (PoP) Network Node

City Profile

Header	Details
City Name	Columbus
Population	Approximately 900,000 (2023 estimate)
Urban Agglomeration	Around 2.1 million (metro area)
City GDP	Approximately $85 billion
Per Capita Income	About $33,000 (2022 estimate)
City Tier	Tier 2 city (based on size, economic strength, and development)
Key Strengths	Education and Research: Home to Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in the U.S.

Companies Involved

Header	Details
Developer / Operator	Cogent Communications, Inc.
Strategic Infrastructure Partner	American Electric Power (AEP Ohio), City of Columbus
Construction Contractor	Local Commercial MEP & General Contracting Partners
MEP Engineering	Cogent Internal Infrastructure & Facility Engineering Teams
Network Connectivity	Cogent Communications Tier-1 Global IP Backbone, AT&T (SBC), ICG, Time Warner Cable, XO Communications.
Power Infrastructure	Commercial low-voltage utility lines branching into a centralized sub-distribution panel board inside the secure network suite.

Technical Specifications

Header	Details
Power Capacity	0.1 MW dedicated tenant critical power
UPS Redundancy	Customer-provided distributed localized UPS systems (Facility provides direct raw utility and generator backup lines)
Cooling System	20-ton precision Airflow HVAC mechanical cooling units designed to maintain optimal operating temperatures and continuous airflow control.
Connectivity	Carrier-neutral design featuring cross-connect capabilities, local dark fiber infrastructure, and multiple burst-capable port speed profiles reaching up to 10,000 Mbps.
PUE Target	1.55
Energy Mix	Pulled entirely from the standard municipal electrical grid managed by AEP Ohio.

Milestones

Header	Details
Announcement	Q1 2012
Construction Start	Q2 2012
Phase 1 Go-Live	H2 2012
Full Buildout	H2 2012 (Site currently operational at baseline design limits)

Investment Details

Header	Details
Total Investment	$1,500,000 (Estimated localized core infrastructure asset and network loop fit-out)
Funding	Direct corporate operational cash flows and internal capital expenditure budget lines