June 17, 2026 by Hayley Levine

Waiting on a new internet connection to go live puts real pressure on a business. Every day of delay is a day of lost productivity. Cogent has been delivering high-quality, high-speed internet for over 25 years, and we consistently outpace the competition on installation timelines. Our SLA includes our installation timeline guarantee – 17 business days for On-Net services, 30 business days for Optical Wavelength services and 90 business days for Off-Net services.

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Our service delivery process is comprehensive, and done, so that when the circuit is turned on, there are no issues. Once the contract is signed, our team goes through it to confirm the service address and SLA requirements. Then, the work order is sent to the field team to prepare the site for the circuit based on product type; and, depending on the location type, a LOA or CFA will be sent to the customer. As necessary, IP Engineering compiles the IP/BGP/VLAN information and sends it to the customer for confirmation. Once customer confirmation is received on each piece of the process, the field team installs the circuit. After the installation is complete, an acceptance letter is sent to the customer, which – when accepted – is the cue to start the billing cycle. This process helps us ensure fast and reliable delivery across our product set.

Cogent’s excellence in service delivery has been quantified by industry analysts over the years. In a recent study from a leading industry research group, covering over 200,000 business telecom orders from 10 leading carriers over a survey period of 18 months, Cogent had the fastest service delivery for dedicated fiber products overall – delivering 28% faster than the average.

Looking in greater detail, Cogent delivered 32% faster than the average for Ethernet DIA, 15% faster than average for Switched Ethernet, and 29% faster than average for Optical Wavelengths.

Consistency is part of the story too. Over the 18-month study period, Cogent's installation timelines showed a net variation of just two days across all products. That kind of stability matters when your business is counting on a committed delivery date.

The numbers speak for themselves. At Cogent, fast and reliable delivery is not an occasional win. It is how we operate.

 

About the Author:
Hayley Levine is a Communications Specialist that works with technically-versed and business-minded individuals who support our global customer base. She highlights how Cogent’s set of products and services can address customer challenges from her involvement in customer conversations