Internet Exchange Point

An Internet Exchange Point (IXP for short) is a physical infrastructure that allows different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to exchange Internet traffic between their networks (autonomous system (Internet)s) by means of mutual Peering agreements, which allow traffic to be exchanged without cost. IXPs are typically used by ISPs to reduce the amount of traffic needing to be carried on their respective Upstream (computer science) providers, at a cost; furthermore, they are used to increase efficiency and fault-tolerance.

The primary purpose of an IXP is to allow networks to interconnect directly, via the exchange, rather than through one or more 3rd party networks. The advantages of the direct interconnection are numerous, but the primary reasons are cost, latency, and bandwidth. Traffic passing through an exchange is typically not billed by any party, whereas traffic to an ISP s upstream provider is. The direct interconnection, often in the same city as both networks are located, often avoids data having to travel to other cities (potentially other Continent) to get from one network to another. This reduces latency. The third advantage, speed, is most noticable in areas that have poorly developed long-distance connections. ISPs in these regions might have to pay between 10 or 100 times more for data transport than ISPs in North America, Europe or Japan. Therefore, these ISPs typically have slower, more limited connections to the rest of the internet. However, a connection to a local IXP may allow them to transfer data without limit, and without cost, vastly improving the bandwidth between customers of the two adjacent ISPs.

A typical IXP consists of one or more switches, to which each of the participating ISPs connect. While ATM swtiches were popular in the 1990s, the most popular technology currently is ethernet, with member ports ranging in speed from 10, 100, 1000, or 10,000Mb/s.

The costs for operating an IXP are typically shared by all participating ISPs. Each member typically pays a monthly membership fee, the pricing of which is usually determined by the speed of the port, or by traffic, though the latter is less popular. Some exchanges will also have a setup fee, used to offset the costs of connection and configuration of a new member.

= List of IXPs =

== Africa ==

Egypt

Cairo Internet eXchange (CR-IX)

Ghana

Ghana Internet Exchange (GIX)

Kenya

Kenya Internet Exchange

Mozambique

Mozambique Internet Exchange (MOZ-IX) [http://www.mozix.org.mz/english/index.htm Official website]

Nigeria

Ibadan Internet Exchange (IBIX), Ibadan [http://www.ib-ix.net/ Official website]

South Africa

Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX), Cape Town

Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX), Johannesburg

The Hub Project, Cape Town [http://www.hub.org.za/ Official website]

South African Internet Exchange (SAIX) [http://www.saix.net SAIX Home Page]

Tanzania

Tanzania Internet eXchange (TIX), Dar es Salaam

Uganda

Uganda Internet Exchange Point (UiXP) [http://www.uixp.co.ug/ Official website]

== Asia ==

China

Shanghai City Exchange, Shanghai

Shanghai Internet Exchange Center, Shanghai

TerraMark

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX)

Indonesia

National Inter Connection Exchange (NICE)

Indonesia Internet Exchange (IIX)

Napsindo International Internet Exchange (NAIIX)

India

India Internet Exchange (IN-IX)

Japan

Japan Network Access Point (JPNAP)

JPNAP Osaka

JPNAP6

JPIX

Media Exchange (MEX)

DIX-IE

NSPIXP-6

Korea

DACOM IX

KINX

Korean Internet Exchange (KIX)

Malaysia

Asia Internet Exchange Network Access Point Malaysia (ARIX)

Kuala Lumpur Internet Exchange, Kuala Lumpur

Pakistan

Karachi Network Access Point

Philippines

Manila Internet Exchange, Manila

Philippines Internet Exchange (PHIX)

Philippine Common Routing Exchange (PHNET CORE)

Singapore

Singapore Open Exchange (SOP)

Thailand

Thailand Internet Exchange Service (THIX)

ThaiSarn Public Internet Exchange (PIE)

Taiwan

Taiwan Network Access Point (TNAP)

TWIX

Vietnam

VP TELECOM

HANOITELECOM

SAIGONPOSTEL

FPT

VNPT

VIETEL

== Europe ==

Most major European IXPs are organized in the European Internet Exchange Association (Euro-IX).

Austria

Vienna Internet Exchange (VIX), Vienna

Belgium

Belgian National Internet Exchange (BNIX), Brussels

Bulgaria

SIX

Varna Internet Exchange

Croatia

Croatian Internet Exchange (CIX)

Cyprus

Cyprus Internet Exchange (CyIX)

Czech Republic

Neutral Internet Exchange of the Czech Republic (NIX.CZ), Prague

Denmark

Danish Internet Exchange Point (DIX), Kongens Lyngby

Estonia

Tallinn Internet Exchange (TIX), Tallinn

Finland

Finnish Communication and Internet Exchange (FICIX), Helsinki, Espoo

Tampere Region Exchange (TREX), Tampere

France

EuroGIX, Alsace

French National Internet Exchange IPv6 (FNIX6), Paris

Grenoble Network Inititive (GNI), Grenoble

Lyon Internet Exchange (Lyonix), Lyon

Marseille Internet eXchange (MAIX), Marseille

MAE Paris, Paris

Mix Internet Exchange and Transit (MIXT)

Paris Internet Exchange (PARIX), Paris

Paris Operators for Universal Internet Exchange (POUIX), Paris

Service for French Internet Exchange (SFINX)

Free Internet Exchange (FreeIX)

Germany

Berlin Commercial Internet Exchange (BCIX), Berlin

Deutscher Commercial Internet Exchange (DE-CIX), Frankfurt

European Commercial Internet Exchange (ECIX), Berlin / Düsseldorf

Frankfurt Internet Exchange (F-IX), Frankfurt

Frankfurt Network Access Point (fraNAP), Frankfurt

INXS Hamburg (INXS HBG), Hamburg

WorkIX Hamburg (WORKIX), Hamburg

INXS Munich (INXS MUC), Munich

Kleyer Rebstöcker Internetexchange (KleyRex), Frankfurt

MAE Frankfurt, Frankfurt

Metropolitan Area Network Darmstadt (MANDA), Darmstadt

Munich Commercial Internet Exchange (M-CIX), Munich

Nürnberger Internet Exchange (N-IX), Nuremberg

Greece

Athens Internet Exchange (AIX), Athens

Hungary

Budapest Internet Exchange (BIX), Budapest

Iceland

Reykjavík Internet Exchange (RIX), Reykjavík

Ireland

Internet Neutral Exchange (INEX), Dublin

Italy

Milan Internet Exchange (MIX), Milan

Nautilus Mediterranean Exchange Point (NaMeX), Rome

Torino Piemonte Exchange Point (TOPIX), Torino

Tuscany Internet Exchange (TIX), Firenze

Latvia

Latvian Global Internet Exchange (GIX), Riga

Riga Internet Exchange (RIX), Riga

Luxembourg

Luxembourg Internet Exchange (LIX), Luxembourg

Malta

Malta Internet Exchange (MIX Malta), Msida

Netherlands

Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), Amsterdam

Den Haag Internet Exchange (DH-IX), Den Haag

Groningen Internet Exchange (GN-IX), Groningen (city)

Nederlands-Duitse Internet Exchange (NDIX), Enschede

Norway

Norwegian Internet Exchange (NIX), Oslo

Poland

Warsaw Internet Exchange (WIX), Warsaw

Portugal

GIGA Portuguese Internet Exchange (GIGAPIX), Lisbon

Romania

Bucharest Internet Exchange (BUHIX), Bucharest

Romanian Network for Internet Exchange (RoNIX), Bucharest

Interlan Allied Networks Internet Exchange (Interlan TCP/IP), Bucharest

Russia

Chelyabinsk Peering Point Ural

MPIX

Moscow Internet Exchange (MSK-IX), Moscow

NSK-IX

Samara Internet Exchange (Samara-IX)

Saint Petersburg Internet Exchange (SPB-IX), Saint Petersburg

Ural IX

Slovakia

Slovak Internet Exchange (SIX), Bratislava

Spain

Catalunya Neutral Internet Exchange (CATNIX), Barcelona

España Internet Exchange (ESPANIX), Madrid

Galicia Neutral Internet Exchange (GALNIX), Santiago de Compostela

Sweden

Internet Exchange i Sverige (Netnod), Stockholm

SOL-IX, Stockholm

Switzerland

CERN Internet Exchange Point (CIXP), Geneva

Swiss Internet Exchange (SWISSIX), Zürich

Turkey

Turkish Information Exchange (TURNET)

Ukraine

Central Ukrainian Internet Exchange

Ukrainian Internet Exchange (UA.IX)

United Kingdom

London Internet Exchange (LINX), London

London Internet Providers Exchange (LIPEX), London

London Network Access Point (LoNAP), London

Manchester Network Access Point (MaNAP), Manchester

Redbus Internet Exchange (RBIEX), London

Scottish Internet Exchange (SCOTIX), Edinburgh

Sovereign House Exchange (SovEx), London

XchangePoint, London

== Middle East ==

Israel

Israeli Internet Exchange (IIX)

United Arab Emirates

Emirates Internet Exchange (EMIX)

== Oceania ==

Australia

PIPE Networks, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra

AUSIX, Melbourne

Brisbane Internet Exchange (BIX), Brisbane

Lismore Internet Exchange (LIX), Lismore, New South Wales

MEL BONE, Melbourne (dead)

Melbourne NAPette, Melbourne

Newcastle Internet Exchange (NIX), Newcastle, New South Wales (dead)

South Australian Internet Exchange (SAIX), Adelaide, Australia

Sydney Internet Exchange (SIX), Sydney (dead)

Victorian Internet Exchange (VIX), Victoria (Australia)

Western Australian Internet Exchange (WAIX), Perth, Western Australia

Wollongong Internet Exchange (WIX), Wollongong (dead)

New Zealand

Wellington Internet Exchange (WIX), Wellington, New Zealand

Neutral New Zealand Internet Exchange (NZIX)

Auckland Peering Exchange (APE), Auckland

Entries above marked dead were part of the failed AUSBONE or appear to have faded from view.

== North America ==

Canada

Toronto Internet Exchange (TorIX)

United States

Switch and Data (PAIX), Atlanta, Dallas, New York City, Northern Virginia, Palo Alto, Philadelphia, San Jose, California, Seattle

MAE-East

MAE-West

MAE-Central

Equinix

AADS - SBC Communications Chicago, Illinois NAP

=External links=

*Open Directory Project: [http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Routers_and_Routing/Internet_Exchanges/ Internet Exchanges] *[http://www.ep.net/ Exchange point information] *[http://www.bgp4.as/internet-exchanges Full list of Internet Exchanges around the world]