Internet exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX established its sixth U.S.-based IX, in Houston. DE-CIX Houston will offer 100G ports and low latency connectivity to more than 150 networks throughout neighboring Dallas, as well as to further national and international DE-CIX locations.
The IX will be housed in Databank’s Westway Park campus, and is accessible from HOU1, HOU2, HOU3 and the Galleria (HOU5) facility. DE-CIX Houston is uniquely positioned to provide local networks with access to networks not currently available in Houston, with low latency connectivity to the vibrant ecosystem of DE-CIX Dallas.
Despite having a large presence of content networks and over 40 data centers, Houston remains the largest U.S. city not to have an IX of substantial size relative to its market size. DE-CIX Houston’s IX infrastructure will launch with 100G ports, providing services such as remote peering to all DE-CIX locations in North America, Europe and beyond; direct connectivity to CSPs not present in Houston and the Microsoft Azure peering service, for low-latency access to the MS365 cloud. With direct connectivity to DE-CIX Dallas (day one) and DE-CIX Mexico (in due course), this move expands what is already the largest neutral interconnection ecosystem in North America.
“With our expansion into Houston, we continue to build on our commitment to bring seamless connectivity to underserved markets,” explains Ed d’Agostino, VP, DE-CIX North America. “This move strengthens our market position in Texas and marks our sixth IX in the US, serving not only East Texas but also Southern Louisiana from a latency perspective. We are delighted to be working with our valued partner DataBank in Houston, as well as in New York and Dallas. Partnerships of this kind are central to expanding interconnectivity options to other key geographical locations across the US, helping to reduce connectivity gaps.”
Via diverse connectivity to Dallas, the IX is also connected to all other DE-CIX U.S. locations, including New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Richmond and the Cloud Exchange in Seattle. Houston is also geographically close enough to Louisiana to serve low latency connectivity across the southern half of the state, helping to close a significant connectivity gap. DE-CIX Houston establishes a new interconnection corridor in the south of the US, providing seamless interconnectivity between Houston and Dallas while also enabling local networks to access regional and international networks in Dallas, in low latency. Further, DE-CIX Houston has the potential to also establish a new gateway to and from Mexico.
“Our partnership with DE-CIX marks a pivotal step in delivering best-in-class interconnection services for our customers in Houston,” said Raul Martynek, DataBank CEO. “By integrating DE-CIX’s high-performance Internet exchange capabilities into our data center ecosystem, we’re enhancing connectivity, reducing latency, and providing our clients with seamless access to a global network of cloud and content providers. This transition reflects our commitment to delivering innovative, scalable, and resilient solutions that meet the evolving needs of enterprises in the region and beyond.”
The commissioning of DE-CIX Houston reinforces DE-CIX’s position as the world’s leading operator of Internet Exchanges. DE-CIX offers its interconnection services in close to 60 locations across Europe, Africa, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia. Accessible from data centers in over 600 cities world-wide, DE-CIX interconnects thousands of network operators (carriers), ISPs, content providers and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries. It also offers peering, cloud and other interconnection services. The DE-CIX Internet and Cloud Exchanges in New York, Dallas, Chicago, Richmond, Houston, and Phoenix, and the dedicated Cloud Exchange in Seattle, form the largest neutral interconnection ecosystem in North America.