Open Access, Inc is a metro area network provider that has designed, implemented, and delivered a core Long Island Metro Ring that spans from Riverhead to major points of presence (POP) in NYC. Its main interconnection point is located at Metro POP, 60 Hudson Street, New York City. At 60 Hudson Street, Open Access meets with hundreds of carriers/service providers with flat rate 0 mile high-speed links (Ethernet/SONET) connecting them to MTU's located in these Central Business Districts (CBD). NYC and other Tier 1 "NFL Cities" have been the recipients of fiber optic metro build outs (Fiber in the Local Loop/ Last Mile) primarily due to the density of their populations and the potential revenue per mile of fiber built. Multi Tenant Units (MTU) in these prominent Central Business Districts (CBD) like NYC and LA have fiber metro rings built that encompass a high percentage of the city's buildings, bringing them into close proximity to the fiber network.

The heart of the fiber Metro Area Network (MAN) is the core metro ring, the portion of the network that carries the most traffic and runs through the CBD. The metro core functions as the gateway to the larger wide area network (WAN). Metro access laterals, often referred to as the last mile/first mile, are built onto the metro core. Short distance fiber laterals are built from the metro access ring to connect nearby MTUs. Where applicable, wireless Free Space Optics (FSO) or WiFi (802.11) links will connect buildings or users of "hot spot" applications to the metro core.

While traditional fiber implementations have employed SONET, Ethernet has emerged as a competitive alternative. The benefits of Ethernet in the MAN are principally two-fold, cost and IP service delivery. With lower network component costs, Open Access is able to pass the cost savings on to customers through lower service fees.
An additional benefit of an Ethernet MAN is the flexibility and breadth of service offerings possible. Unlike a SONET-based service, which imposes rigid bandwidth allotments, Ethernet services offer the flexibility to deliver any amount of bandwidth the customer may require. A final benefit of Ethernet is the simplicity of an all IP network, avoiding the complexities of IP/ATM conversions present in many other network topologies.