Short answer: Lumen NaaS is Lumen's Network-as-a-Service portfolio: a set of on-demand network services you can provision, scale and manage yourself through the Lumen Connect portal or APIs. It starts with a Lumen Fabric Port, and you add services such as Lumen Intelligent Internet (formerly Internet On-Demand, or IoD) on top of it.
This guide is for the network and finance teams who buy and run these services. Product facts come from Lumen's on-demand services page and Fabric Port documentation, checked on November 5, 2026. Apptifi is an independent product and is not affiliated with Lumen.
What Is in the Lumen NaaS Portfolio?
| Service | What it does | Bandwidth | SLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Internet | Programmable internet access | 1 Mbps to 100 Gbps | 99.99% |
| Ethernet Fabric Connect | Private Layer 2 Ethernet between sites, data centers and clouds | 50 Mbps to 100 Gbps | 99.999% |
| Multi-Cloud Gateway | A hub for private connections between clouds, data centers and sites | 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps | 99.99% |
| Cloud Interconnect | Automated Layer 3 private connectivity to cloud partners | 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps | Varies by cloud provider |
| IP VPN On-Demand | Private on-demand data connections | 50 Mbps to 25 Gbps | 99.99% |
Lumen says these services are available in the United States, but not everywhere. Lumen's Ethernet On-Demand web page now describes Ethernet Fabric Connect, so you may see both names.
How Lumen NaaS Works
The Fabric Port comes first. A Fabric Port is your access point to Lumen's network, and one NaaS-enabled port can carry multiple services. Lumen says cloud-to-cloud connectivity does not need an existing port.
Then you add services. On-Demand services can be turned on or off in Lumen Connect or through APIs. VLAN and IP services are set up once the port is ready.
Then you change them as needs change. Lumen says bandwidth changes take minutes, with no change orders.
How to Order Lumen NaaS
- 1. Check your address. Lumen lets you check whether a location supports self-service NaaS ordering.
- 2. Sign in and order. If it does, you sign in, answer the ordering questions, and request port activation.
- 3. Wait for activation. A Lumen technician activates the port.
- 4. Add your services. Prepare your equipment, then add On-Demand services.
Where self-service is not available, Lumen points customers to its NaaS sales specialists or to NaaS in third-party data centers.
Lumen NaaS Pricing
Pricing depends on the service, and you can often choose between hourly and term-based billing. These are examples of Lumen's listed starting rates on November 5, 2026:
| Service | Tier | Listed starting rate |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligent Internet | 100 Mbps | $0.47 an hour |
| Intelligent Internet | 1 Gbps | $1.06 an hour |
| Ethernet Fabric Connect | 100 Mbps | $1.01 an hour or $408 a month |
| Ethernet Fabric Connect | 1 Gbps | $2.21 an hour or $896 a month |
Rates exclude taxes and fees and can change, so check Lumen's current pages. Lumen says NaaS services need an eligible NaaS-enabled port, with a separate minimum-term agreement and possible early termination charges. Budget for the port as well as the service.
The billing model decides how you control cost. On hourly billing you pay for the tier you have ordered, so a lower tier off-peak lowers the bill. On a term plan you pay a fixed monthly rate for committed bandwidth, so check your agreement first.
Lumen IoD Guides
Intelligent Internet, still called Lumen IoD in many places, is where most teams start. These guides cover the common jobs:
- • Lumen IoD pricing and rates: how hourly billing works, with rates by tier.
- • Lumen IoD scheduling: how to schedule bandwidth on a visual calendar.
- • Lumen IoD API: how to connect to the Lumen API and change bandwidth.
- • Lumen IoD portal: when to use Lumen Connect, the API or a scheduler.
- • Lumen IoD cost reduction: how to reduce your Lumen IoD bill.
- • Lumen IoD billing: how to audit your Lumen bill.
- • The new name: what changed with Lumen Intelligent Internet.
What to Watch When You Run Lumen NaaS
- • Paying peak rates off-peak. On hourly billing, a tier left high all weekend is charged all weekend.
- • Change limits. Lumen allows 24 change orders per IoD connection per GMT day.
- • Add-on limits. Lumen says Defender is not available above 1 Gbps, so check add-ons before you raise a tier.
- • Bills that drift from what you ordered. Compare each invoice with your orders and contract.
Apptifi helps with the first and last of these. It schedules Lumen bandwidth on a visual calendar and checks Lumen bills against what you ordered and agreed to pay. To see what a schedule could save, try the IoD savings calculator.