Digital Realty Trust, which owns 122 data center properties in cities around the world, plans to establish Digital Open Internet Exchanges to expedite the carrier-neutral exchange of traffic. Specifically, the company will provide the necessary data center infrastructure to support member-governed Internet exchanges, a model that has proven successful across Europe.
Digital Realty plans to operate as an endorsed data center partner with the governing bodies and endorsed IXPs (internet exchange providers) of Internet exchanges in each of the major exchange locations in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. The initial rollout for Digital Open Internet Exchange will take place in the New York metro area and Northern Virginia, followed by deployment in several other U.S. markets.
“Digital Open Internet Exchange is a game-changer for the entire IP and networking community, and for our customers,” said Michael Foust, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Realty. “By creating a truly open Internet exchange environment, we are supporting the community’s desire for neutral exchanges that are more efficient and cost-effective than those available today.
“We understand that the costs and limitations associated with connecting to the existing Internet exchanges in the U.S., as well as peer-to-peer interconnecting, are simply too high.” said John Sarkis, Vice President of Connectivity and Carrier Operations at Digital Realty. “This initiative establishes the optimal exchange environment, making it possible for Internet service providers (ISPs), content delivery networks (CDNs) and content producers to interconnect with their peers as well as to other exchanges from our data centers at a significantly lower cost than they pay today, while also improving the quality of service they can provide to customers. By empowering the community to take control of the way it operates the exchanges, we will enable organizations within business ecosystems—like-minded and vertical industries—to connect with each other in and across all of Digital Realty’s 120-plus global locations.”
