FibreconX is pioneering the next generation of digital infrastructure across Australia’s leading digital hubs with its state-of-the-art, purpose-built dark fibre network. We connect with Mark Rafferty, CEO, to find out more.
TOMORROW’S NETWORK TODAY
Data centres are the engines of the internet and form the foundations of the modern technological world.
These gigantic, high-security facilities host racks of servers that store and process vast swathes of our digital data, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At present, there are around 300 data centres spread across Australia, with the majority concentrated along the east coast in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, where investment and expansion remain strong.
With more facilities slated for construction in the coming years, the federal government’s plans for digital infrastructure expansion continue to gain significant traction.
This will cater to the surging demand for generative artificial intelligence (AI), boost the national economy, and increase Australia’s digital sovereignty.
The transformation also represents a global shift towards storing and managing data domestically under new national laws, whilst the market evolves to incorporate more sustainable energy solutions and innovative technologies to meet the rising energy needs of these facilities.
Taking advantage of this surge in demand, FibreconX was created by a group of industry experts who have leveraged multiple years of technology innovation, network construction, and operations to create a dedicated high-capacity dark fibre network for Australia’s most critical digital precincts.
“At the time, Australia had a lack of wholesale service providers, so we saw the opportunity to build a brand-new network focused on delivering what legacy fibre design and architecture simply wasn’t providing,” introduces Mark Rafferty, CEO.
“We designed the best-performing fibre network and rolled out our own infrastructure everywhere – underneath front lawns, railways, harbours, and entire CBDs,” he recalls.
Rafferty leverages over 20 years’ executive experience leading some of Australia’s largest telecommunication infrastructure organisations.
Prior to FibreconX, he specialised in enterprise and wholesale operations, as well as large-scale infrastructure deployment. Today, he leads an agile and highly skilled team focused on solving one challenge – modern connectivity at data centre-grade performance.
UPGRADING THE NETWORK
Outdated and under-equipped, Australia’s legacy networks are no longer capable of supporting today’s demands or tomorrow’s exponential growth – and this is where FibreconX steps in.
“We’ve built a brand new, future-proof, dedicated duct and dark fibre network that connects all major data centres using the shortest paths for performance, ultra-low latency, and the ability to scale with unlimited capacity,” Rafferty explains.
FibreconX is dedicated to delivering the highest possible network performance to match growing data centre requirements.
Through smart design and engineering, the company ensures that once the network is built, it is ready for future increases in demand. By working exclusively with dark fibre, FibreconX ensures the underlying infrastructure remains stable – built once, then left untouched.
“Because we are a dedicated wholesale fibre provider, everything we do is designed so our partners finally have access to the full capability of fibre, without incumbent limitations or retail conflict,” affirms Rafferty.
As dark fibre is its sole product, and the business is purely wholesale, FibreconX guarantees consistent, transparent pricing with the ability to scale regardless of the order size.
“Moving forward, we aim to continue breaking barriers and setting benchmarks in the competitive fibre access network industry”
Mark Rafferty, CEO, FibreconX
VAST GROWTH FOR THE INDUSTRY
When Rafferty founded the company in 2019, he didn’t anticipate the speed or scale of the industry’s growth.
“We saw the early signals that the data centre market was thriving again, and hyperscalers and cloud providers such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google had an expanding set of requirements,” he recalls.
In response to this industry upswing, Rafferty made the decision to build a brand-new network specifically designed around how data centres connect.
“These facilities can’t work as islands – if a data centre isn’t connected to another, it simply doesn’t function.”
Rafferty believes this is an incredibly exciting time to be a part of the industry and recognises that Australia is not only a geopolitically safe environment for customers to invest in, but also in need of substantial network upgrades to facilitate the customer requirements and expectations of today’s landscape.
“The country has seen astronomical growth in new data centres, and we’re fortunate to have built a metro network designed with the latest requirements. That decision has created a strong pipeline of work for our business,” Rafferty explains.
AWARD WINNERS
Earlier this year, FibreconX was awarded the CommsDay Edison Award for ‘Best Competitive Fibre Access Network Operator’ for the second consecutive year.
“This accolade is a testament to our innovative approach of being purely wholesale with ‘PureFibre’, enabling our partners to compete in the telco sector, particularly through our FibreXchange offering,” Rafferty says.
The company has transformed how its partners connect their business customers, offering dedicated, low-latency fibre connectivity directly to their premises and then to their own equipment – not only meeting today’s requirements, but more importantly tomorrow’s.
This innovative service meets the current demands of high-speed network access and is future-proofed to handle the rapid acceleration of AI and machine learning (ML) applications.
“With ‘PureFibre’, we’ve delivered a completely new network and digital infrastructure that empowers our partners to stay ahead in a fast-evolving digital landscape,” adds Rafferty.
“Moving forward, we aim to continue breaking barriers and setting benchmarks in the competitive fibre access network industry.”
“With ‘PureFibre’, we’ve delivered a completely new network and digital infrastructure that empowers our partners to stay ahead in a fast-evolving digital landscape”
Mark Rafferty, CEO, FibreconX
BUILT DIFFERENT
One of FibreconX’s top priorities was ensuring its ‘core’ network would only need to be built once, fully designed for the future and capable of supporting the latest advances in technology.
“We are 100 percent committed to offering dark fibre alone. However, with the emergence of AI, we’ve had to consider how customers will require the fibre to physically behave,” Rafferty expands.
One of the company’s key differentiators is its deep focus on physical design and infrastructure behaviour.
“We believe we’re the only network in Australia ready to cater for the next generation of AI-driven technologies. Whether it’s open access 6G mobile networks, outdoor advertising, tower infrastructure, or data centre deployments, we’re equipped to support these innovations,” he concludes proudly.
FIBRECONX PARTNER
