Lumen Doubles Network-as-a-Service Customer Base as Enterprises Rapidly Shift to Programmable Connectivity
MWN-AI** Summary
Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has successfully doubled its network-as-a-service (NaaS) customer base, surpassing 2,000 enterprises since Q3 2025. This significant growth highlights the rapid shift among businesses towards on-demand, programmable networking to support AI and Cloud 2.0 workloads. Jim Fowler, Lumen's Chief Technology and Product Officer, emphasizes that this transformation reflects a critical evolution in how enterprises are rethinking their network architectures to handle the vast data movements inherent in AI applications and multi-cloud strategies.
Key factors driving this growth include Lumen's expansion of its Internet On-Demand capabilities to over 10 million new locations, which enhances connectivity for office buildings and data centers across North America. This expansion, alongside increased customer reliance on NaaS, indicates a trend toward more adaptive and scalable networking solutions. The emergence of Lumen’s Multi-Cloud Gateway, providing a software-defined routing layer, further supports enterprises in efficiently managing data flow between business locations and cloud services.
Lumen’s NaaS is also recognized for its adaptability across various sectors, including live sports, as demonstrated by the Seattle Sounders FC, which leverages Lumen's scalable network ultimately tailored to their event-driven needs without incurring peak capacity costs year-round.
In 2025, Lumen was awarded NaaS Provider of the Year - North America by Mplify for its innovative platform that integrates on-demand connectivity with robust cybersecurity and application assurance capabilities. Lumen is positioned as a trusted partner in helping organizations unlock the full potential of AI, emphasizing its commitment to meeting contemporary and future digital demands.
MWN-AI** Analysis
**Market Analysis and Advice on Lumen Technologies' NaaS Growth**
Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) has made significant strides in its Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offering, doubling its enterprise customer base to over 2,000 since Q3 2025. This growth showcases a robust market trend where businesses are rapidly shifting towards programmable networking to support the increasingly demanding environments for AI and multi-cloud applications. As enterprises rearchitect their networks, Lumen's NaaS positions itself as a vital player in this transformation, especially for AI-driven workloads requiring high scalability and low-latency connectivity.
The acceleration in customer adoption, evidenced by Lumen’s expansion of its Internet On-Demand capabilities to more than 10 million locations, indicates a strong demand for flexible networking solutions. Companies across various industries, including live sports, are looking for programmable architectures that allow for real-time data exchange and rapid scaling during peak operations—an area Lumen excels in. The implementation of the Multi-Cloud Gateway alongside Lumen Connect enhances user experience, giving enterprises greater control and efficiency over their connectivity needs.
Investors should view Lumen’s growth in NaaS as a significant competitive advantage, particularly as enterprises prioritize agility in their IT infrastructures. The recognition as NaaS Provider of the Year further solidifies Lumen's standing in the market, reflecting its commitment to innovation in the AI era. However, potential investors should also remain cautious, given the volatility in tech-related stocks and the inherent risks in the telecommunications sector.
In conclusion, Lumen Technologies presents a compelling opportunity in the growing NaaS market. Current trends indicate that demand for programmable networking will continue to rise, making Lumen’s offerings vital as enterprises adapt to future technological needs. Investors may consider Lumen as a strategic buy, particularly for those with an inclination toward companies facilitating digital transformation.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Expanded off-net reach and multi-cloud simplicity drive more than 2,000 enterprises to adopt Lumen’s programmable network platform for Cloud 2.0 and AI workloads
Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN ) today announced the company has doubled its network-as-a-service (NaaS) customer base to more than 2,000 businesses since Q3 2025, reflecting how quickly enterprises are shifting to on-demand, programmable networking for AI and cloud workloads.
“Enterprises are redesigning their networks for a world where AI workloads move massive amounts of data across clouds and geographies in real time,” said Jim Fowler, Lumen chief technology and product officer. “Surpassing 2,000 NaaS customers so quickly shows programmable networking is no longer experimental, it’s becoming the control plane for Cloud 2.0. Our platform gives businesses the composability, scalability, and performance they need to operate at AI speed.”
What’s Driving Growth
Growth in Lumen’s NaaS platform is being driven by enterprises rearchitecting networks to support AI-driven and multi-cloud workloads that demand greater flexibility and scale. Since reaching 1,000 customers in August 2025, Lumen has expanded its Internet On-Demand capabilities to more than 10 million new locations, enabling office buildings and data centers across North America to quickly scale connectivity. Adoption has also accelerated as enterprises increase ports per customer, signaling growing reliance on a programmable fabric to support distributed business sites, clouds, and AI-driven environments.
A Platform Built for the AI Era
NaaS is central to Lumen’s digital transformation into the trusted network for AI. As CIOs and hyperscalers modernize architectures for distributed AI workloads, they require more than bandwidth – they need intelligent, programmable infrastructure that delivers low-latency, scale, and control across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Lumen’s new Multi?Cloud Gateway advances this strategy by adding a software?defined, self?service routing layer on top of its global fiber network, giving enterprises a more direct and efficient way to move data between clouds and business locations. This enables faster deployment, lower complexity, and more reliable performance for AI workloads that depend on real?time data exchange. Lumen’s NaaS can now be managed with Lumen Connect, a self-service portal where users can find, order, and control on-demand connectivity. This network programmability leads to faster deployment, less complexity, and more reliable performance for AI workloads that require real-time data exchange.
Real-World Impact Across Industries
The platform’s growth spans industries, from large enterprise IT environments to live sports that require elastic performance. Among the new enterprises adopting NaaS is the Seattle Sounders FC, which turned to Lumen to build a network that can rapidly scale for game days without paying for peak capacity year-round.
“Live sports don’t operate on a steady curve,” said Kari Escobedo, Interim CTO at Seattle Sounders FC. “We need the ability to scale when the business needs to scale — and to know the network will perform when it matters most. With Lumen NaaS, the network adapts to the business instead of the other way around.”
Recognized Industry Leadership
In 2025, Lumen was named NaaS Provider of the Year - North America by Mplify for delivering an integrated platform that combines on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud networking into a single programmable platform.
About Lumen Technologies
Lumen is unleashing the world's digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI's full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers’ needs today and as they build for tomorrow.
For news and insights visit news.lumen.com , LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies , X: lumentechco , Facebook: /lumentechnologies , Instagram: @lumentechnologies and YouTube: /lumentechnologies . Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies LLC is a wholly owned affiliate of Lumen Technologies, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding management’s expectations with respect to our business, strategy and operations as well as statements identified by words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not promises nor guarantees of future results, are based on our current expectations only and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including those described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as updated in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated by us in these statements due to several factors, including those referenced in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224834941/en/
Media Contact:
Stephanie Meisse
stephanie.n.meisse@lumen.com
419-610-3142
FAQ**
How does Lumen Technologies Inc. LUMN plan to further expand its off-net reach and what specific markets or industries are targeted for this growth?
What competitive advantages does Lumen Technologies Inc. LUMN's NaaS platform offer compared to other providers in the market?
Can Lumen Technologies Inc. LUMN provide examples of how enterprises have improved their AI operations with the adoption of its programmable network platform?
What potential risks does Lumen Technologies Inc. LUMN foresee as it continues to grow its NaaS customer base and evolve its service offerings?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE: LUMN).
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