A deal struck between internet connection facilities in
New York and London will make using the internet faster and more
reliable.
Network providers which connect with other carriers at Telx, a
major interconnection site in New York, now can hook up with
networks in Europe as if they had their own connection at the
London Internet Exchange (Linx).
Using the transatlantic connections of other carriers operating
in London and New York, smaller service providers will be able to
set up secure, "tunnelled" connections between the two points.
Linx is a mutual organisation owned by ISPs and content delivery
service providers, including many in the US, Europe and Asia.
Both internet connection points provide a building and a
high-speed network where service providers of all sizes can set up
routers and exchange traffic directly and at high speed. More than
150 providers have a physical presence at Telx and 140 are at Linx,
but only some carriers are set up at both.
The agreement between Telx and Linx will allow service providers
connected at only one of the sites to establish a "virtual"
presence at the other. It is intended to save them the high cost of
setting up and maintaining equipment while delivering the benefits
of a physical presence across the ocean.
Having a virtual presence at Linx can give an ISP a tighter
connection to the whole world - more than 50% of the world's
internet routes are directly accessible from Linx.
Stephen Lawson writes for IDG News Service