LINX launches new Internet Exchange in the USA

Monday 14th October 2013
The London Internet Exchange (LINX), the world leading Internet exchange operator, has opened its newest Internet Exchange (IXP) in the USA.

The exchange will be the first neutral, mutually owned Internet exchange in the Northern Virginia area and will provide ISPs, content owners and network operators with the ability to peer Internet traffic from a choice of three different physical data centre locations.

The new exchange, called LINX NoVA, is in response to a detailed member consultation regarding demand for public peering in the United States. Traditionally, private peering has been the dominant model in North America, but there is a demand from network operators for mutually owned public peering in the country.  The biggest IXPs in the world are all based in Europe, with only one North American exchange making it into the world's top 10 (Terremark in Miami), which contrasts with the fact that there is more traffic in the US than anywhere else.

This latest IXP from LINX is consistent with the objectives of the recently established Open-IX initiative, a community representing many of the largest networks in the USA, most of whom are existing LINX members. Open-IX, like LINX, identified Northern Virginia as being one of the areas where demand for this style of mutual, multi-site peering is at its highest and LINX NoVA gives the USA a very real opportunity to have another world leading IXP in the country.

The new IXP, built with Juniper MX series routers, launches initially in three data centre locations across the NoVA metro area - Ashburn, Reston and Manassas. The sites will be connected together by diverse dark fibre lit by LINX, meaning a network can present themselves at any of these locations and start peering with networks present in any of the others.

John Souter, CEO of LINX, said "It is clear from the advent of the Open-IX initiative that the US network community believes that a neutral, mutually governed, member-led approach to peering is the right one for the future growth of the Internet. In addition to the Open-IX initiative, our own consultations with LINX members show that there is an appetite for change, and LINX NoVA is ideally placed to satisfy that demand."