By Kimberly Koerth

tw telecom inc. is nearly doubling its network reach in southern Colorado. The expansion complements and extends network presence in its existing service area of central Colorado Springs, north to Monument, south to Pueblo and west to Cripple Creek and Woodland Park.

tw telecom says the expansion meets customer demand for tw telecom’s portfolio of data and Internet services, including its Business Ethernet and Intelligent Network capabilities.

The Colorado Springs expansion is part of a national multimarket effort by the company to expand its metro fiber footprint by approximately 17 percent across the country. As part of the expansion, tw telecom plans to enter into five new high-demand markets – Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va. and Salt Lake City – and accelerate the density of its metro fiber footprint in 28 existing markets.

The company is investing this year to rapidly integrate and connect the entire 32-market expansion effort into its national network and operational infrastructure. tw telecom also intends to expand its sales force, including sales and support employees as well as additional operations personnel to support this project.

tw telecom followed up its Colorado expansion news with a similar announcement for the Memphis, Tenn., area on Thursday, saying it’s added nearly 100 new route miles of fiber there.