DE-CIX upgrades New York’s largest internet exchange backbone

For network operators building a platform for the digital future, the only assumption is that data is likely to explode through rapid uptake of cloud, and as part of its response to these issues, premium interconnection services provider DE-CIX is to upgrade the backbone network of its internet exchange (IX) in New York, the largest of its kind in the city and in the US Northeast region, to 400 Gigabit Ethernet (GE).

DE-CIX claims to be the world’s leading operator of carrier and datacentre-neutral IX services, offering interconnection services in more than 40 metro-markets in Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East and Asia. Accessible from datacentres in over 600 cities worldwide, the company connects thousands of network operators (carriers), internet service providers (ISPs), content providers and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries; and offers peering, cloud and interconnection services.

The New York exchange is connected to all other DE-CIX locations in North America, enabling remote peering and access to an ecosystem of networks not present in other local exchanges. The DE-CIX internet and cloud exchanges in New York, Dallas, Chicago, Richmond, Houston and Phoenix – plus the dedicated cloud exchange in Seattle – are said to form the largest carrier and datacentre neutral interconnection ecosystem in North America. In addition, DE-CIX New York is directly connected to DE-CIX’s locations in Europe, in Frankfurt – the largest IX in the region – and beyond.

Assessing the reasons for the deployment, DE-CIX North America said the upgrade is designed to allow the firm to future-proof its platform to best serve the New York market and start 2025 on-track for further growth.

“With the number of datacentres that we integrate, it is imperative that we have a state-of-the-art transport network with scalable capacity,” said DE-CIX vice-president Ed d’Agostino. “DE-CIX New York is the largest IX in New York and the youngest internet exchange in the top five largest IXs in the US. The platform covers an area spanning Long Island to the East and Piscataway and Edison to the South and West. It connects over 265 networks from across the city, with an infrastructure that spans over 40 datacentres served.”

The upgrade is based on Nokia optical technology, redesigned in a ring topology, redundantly interconnecting the 10 datacentre facilities where DE-CIX infrastructure is housed and enhancing the resiliency of the platform for all participants.

The Nokia optical offering is also designed to enable 800GE support for anticipated further growth of the IX and employs reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) technology to ensure greater routing flexibility, faster reaction times in the case of incidents and what is described as a “seamless” customer experience without any service interruptions.

Within a dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) system, the ROADM technology in Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) is said to make it possible to automatically reroute waves at the optical layer in any direction around the backbone. This, said Nokia, means incidents at any location in the network can be mitigated more rapidly, and less capacity is required at the IP layer to guarantee the same level of resilience.

“When we began planning the upgrade of our New York backbone, we wanted to simplify our network, while also increasing the resilience of the platform,” said DE-CIX chief technology officer Thomas King. “We took a detailed look at the options in the market, and Nokia was the best choice for us. We have worked with Nokia globally for more than 10 years now, and the capacity, reliability and innovative strength of their hardware has always impressed us.”

James Watt, senior vice-president and general manager of Nokia’s optical business, said: “In today’s connected world, staying resilient and ready to scale is a must. This upgrade to DE-CIX New York’s backbone isn’t just about supporting the largest internet exchange in the Northeast – it’s about shaping the future of connectivity in one of the world’s biggest markets.”