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LINX Offers Virtual Presence For ISPs

Posted: 21st Nov, 2003 By: MarkJ

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has begun offering ISPs from around the world an opportunity to establish a 'virtual presence' within its UK network:

'LINX FROM ANYWHERE' CAMPAIGN WILL IMPROVE INTERNET SERVICE

Europe's largest Internet exchange point has started a campaign to improve the speed and reliability of the Internet worldwide by attracting more members from overseas.

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is one of several exchange points across the globe where Internet service providers (ISPs) and others exchange traffic between their networks. Exchanging traffic in this way offers ISPs benefits in terms of economy, reliability and speed - benefits which can be passed on to users who will gain swifter and more certain access to web pages or e-mails.

To obtain membership of LINX, and join the 140 ISPs from around the world which already exchange traffic there, ISPs have previously had to site hardware at one or more of LINX's eight London sites.

Now LINX is offering ISPs which might find the capital costs of such a move prohibitive an opportunity to establish a 'virtual presence'.

Under a scheme which LINX has badged as 'LINX from Anywhere', some existing LINX members are now offering other ISPs private point-to-point Ethernet connections on their international networks. The connections terminate in a dedicated Ethernet port, with an individual IP address controlled by the customer ISP, on the member's router at LINX.

The system provides the customer ISP with a 'tunnelled' connection into LINX. It gives totally secure communications and a physical presence within the existing member's hardware, allowing the customer ISP to make connections with other LINX members.

LINX sales and marketing manager Vanessa Evans said: "Under the LINX from Anywhere scheme, this type of virtual presence allows ISPs to meet one of the requirements for LINX membership - although they still need to demonstrate that they meet the technical and quality standards required to become members.

More than 90 per cent of the Internet traffic exchanged between ISPs in the UK passes through LINX and more than 50 per cent of the world's Internet routes are directly accessible from the exchange. So membership at LINX offers real benefits to ISPs seeking to cut the costs and improve reliability of transit into the UK, and from there to the rest of the world.

This in turn offers benefits not just to the customers of these ISPs themselves but to Internet users generally who need to access websites or send e-mails via the networks operated by these ISPs."

ISPs in the USA and Asia are expected to be particularly interested in LINX from Anywhere. They have potentially high expenses in establishing a physical presence at LINX because of the costs involved in deploying staff to install hardware - and subsequently to manage and maintain it.

With LINX from Anywhere they can connect to LINX from any point on the globe where participating LINX members have a presence.

LINX has set up a special website with details of the LINX from Anywhere scheme - http://www.linx.net/joining/linx-anywhere