360 Networks decided that Lynn, which is on the North Shore, would house its terminus for its $650-million transatlantic cable that connects to Ireland and Nova Scotia. "They were looking for an offshore location that was close to Boston," DeVeau explains. "We expedited the permitting process and made them feel welcome." The cable is expected to be ready this spring.

CT-based Asset Channels will be constructing its North-South cable here shortly, which will run from Boston to Miami. "It will provide capacity for the entire East Coast," notes DeVeau. This cable will be running right by locally based Shore.net, one of the area's largest Internet service providers and the impetus for the creation of the Cyber District here ten years ago. The cable provided iPrimus with the incentive to buy the company for $43 million.

Until recently, the Cyber District was renovated industrial and retail space Downtown here occupied by a small cluster of telecommunications companies. But the appeal of an Internet service provider and the close proximity and high speed of the cable, as well as the low cost of rent here, convinced Web designers, network designers and other Internet service providers to locate their businesses here, including Verizon, which has a switching facility in the Downtown area. "Anyone with a need for fiber-optic capacity will be interested in locating here," says DeVeau.