Lumen Technologies announced it has completed its acquisition of Alkira, an on-demand networking platform that enables enterprises to connect clouds, sites, partners, and AI workloads through a unified software platform. The deal combines Alkira’s cloud-native networking technology with Lumen’s fiber infrastructure and programmable network to simplify enterprise networking across cloud, hybrid, and AI environments.
The acquisition enhances Lumen’s strategy of delivering an integrated platform that combines physical network infrastructure with intelligent software. Rather than offering only connectivity or orchestration, Lumen now provides both through a programmable network designed to help organizations manage increasingly complex IT environments.
For enterprise customers, the combined platform offers a more streamlined approach to building and operating networks. Businesses will be able to manage secure connections across multiple clouds, data centers, branch locations, and partners while enforcing consistent security policies, improving visibility into network operations, and reducing manual provisioning.
The acquisition also strengthens Lumen’s AI networking capabilities as organizations deploy AI workloads across multiple cloud providers and geographic regions. By integrating Alkira’s carrier-agnostic networking architecture with one of North America’s largest fiber networks, Lumen aims to provide customers with more intelligent traffic management across distributed environments.
As integration continues, Alkira’s technology is expected to become part of Lumen Connect, bringing together Lumen Multi-Cloud Gateway, cloud on-ramps, and both on-net and off-net connectivity into a unified platform. The combined solution is designed to give customers a single interface for managing secure connectivity across clouds, sites, partners, and AI workloads while advancing Lumen’s broader Network-as-a-Service strategy.
Lumen also highlighted recent industry recognition, noting that Gartner named the company the “Company to Beat” in the AI Vendor Race in Enterprise WAN and Connectivity Services for AI in a June 2026 report, citing the combination of Lumen’s fiber network, metro infrastructure, edge capabilities, and Alkira’s cloud-native control plane.
KEY QUOTE:
“AI is reshaping how businesses operate, creating unprecedented demand for intelligent, programmable networks that can move data securely and seamlessly across cloud, edge, and data center environments. By bringing Alkira into Lumen, we’re combining world-class network infrastructure with cloud networking innovation to make complex environments simpler for customers. This is another important step in our transformation and strengthens our ability to help customers build, scale, and operate in the AI era.”
Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen
