The member‑owned and not-for-profit London Internet Exchange (LINX), which manages a large chunk of UK and global data traffic through their switches via around 900 members (broadband ISPs, mobile operators etc.), has today extended their existing partnership with Japan Internet Xing Co., Ltd (JPIX) by launching new direct network routes between London and Tokyo.
The new interconnection service is intended to enable both UK and European networks to access one of Asia’s largest interconnection hubs with “simplified connectivity, low latency and local peering opportunities“.
NOTE: Tokyo is one of the world’s major interconnection hubs, supported by more than 20 international subsea cables connecting Japan to North America, Southeast Asia and Australia.
The initial element of the partnership allows JPIX’s customers to connect directly to LINX’s LON1 peering platform in London via a sole carrier partner. The connection will be ordered and managed by JPIX, making it relatively simple for their customers to connect to LINX.
The reverse route for networks to access unique content in Tokyo from London is said to have been driven by the growing global demand for Japanese digital content, particularly in areas such as anime, manga, and gaming.
Mike Hellers, Product Development Manager for LINX, said:
“It’s great to see this partnership flourish. We have a handful of networks now peering in London from Tokyo with quite high bandwidths. We are pleased to now be able to work with JPIX to provide the reverse route from London to Tokyo.”
Tetsuya Hamada, Senior Executive Expert from JPIX, said:
“This new route is a wider project we are working on to increase the awareness of local peering in Japan for networks in Europe.”
LINX members have also been given access to an exclusive introductory offer, which will provide a 1Gbps service at JPIX, including the transport bandwidth between LINX LON1 and JPIX Tokyo, for £400 per month. Other bandwidth options up to 5Gbps will also be available. The simplified commercial model enables networks to establish a presence in Tokyo without managing separate local connectivity arrangements.
The expansion of this service has encouraged LINX to rebrand their work with fellow IXPs to LINX IX Connect – covering all the collaborative work and routes they offer with not only JPIX, but Namex in Rome, and also NYIIX in New York.