30 years of DE-CIX:
From a local interconnection hub
to a global player
In its thirty years of operations, DE-CIX has achieved remarkable success and exceptional growth. Initially connecting just three German Internet service providers at a newly established Internet Exchange in Frankfurt in 1995, DE-CIX has evolved into a major international operator of Internet Exchanges and global leader in interconnection services, now connecting a total of more than 4,000 networks. Undoubtedly, a significant part of the company’s success during the past three decades is rooted in the unabatedly strong performance and continuous development of its “home base”, as Frankfurt remains the largest of DE-CIX’s Internet Exchanges to this day (read how Frankfurt became the heart of the European Internet). And yet, DE-CIX’s transition toward becoming a global player would not have been possible without the decision to move beyond Frankfurt and Germany by expanding internationally and entering new markets around the globe.
Driving the development of the Internet at home in Germany
Throughout the company history, the path of DE-CIX has often been closely linked to the overall evolution of the Internet. From its inception, but especially since its commercialization in the early 1990s, the Internet has constantly been on the advance. It grew bigger and more intertwined, becoming the foundation and driver of global digital infrastructure. Today, the Internet is critical for the global economy, connecting billions of people and providing access to reams of data and information. But of course, this evolution didn’t just happen automatically. It required a lot of visionary and pioneering work, from the development, provisioning, and deployment of the necessary hardware to the buildup of accessible Internet services, functional networks, and the extensive interconnection of those networks.
This is where DE-CIX comes in. As an interconnection service provider enabling different network operators to connect their networks and exchange data through peering, DE-CIX has contributed to the rise and triumph of the Internet. Throughout the 2000s, the continued success of the Internet Exchange in Frankfurt provided DE-CIX with a strong incentive to unlock unused potential in other places by extending its business and opening new Internet Exchanges in Germany. The company’s first expansion steps were taken with the launches of DE-CIX Hamburg, DE-CIX Munich, and DE-CIX Dusseldorf. But given that the general demand for interconnection was growing everywhere in the world, internationalization crystallized as the logical next move.
This is where DE-CIX comes in. As an interconnection service provider enabling different network operators to connect their networks and exchange data through peering, DE-CIX has contributed to the rise and triumph of the Internet. Throughout the 2000s, the continued success of the Internet Exchange in Frankfurt provided DE-CIX with a strong incentive to unlock unused potential in other places by extending its business and opening new Internet Exchanges in Germany. The company’s first expansion steps were taken with the launches of DE-CIX Hamburg, DE-CIX Munich, and DE-CIX Dusseldorf. But given that the general demand for interconnection was growing everywhere in the world, internationalization crystallized as the logical next move.
The beginning of DE-CIX’s internationalization
In 2012, DE-CIX ventured abroad for the first time: In partnership with the telecom and data center operator du/datamena, DE-CIX established the UAE-IX in Dubai as its first Internet Exchange built and operated outside Germany. The successful launch of the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX not only marked an important milestone in the company history. It also proved that DE-CIX was capable of operating and remotely managing Internet Exchanges from abroad. An accomplishment that paved the way for further expansion, thus setting the stage for DE-CIX’s transition from a successful German Internet Exchange operator to an international interconnection service provider.
Arnold Nipper, DE-CIX
"Our move to go international in 2012
was the biggest acceleration point in the
history of DE-CIX."
In the years following the launch of the UAE-IX, DE-CIX’s international expansion strategy quickly picked up pace. In 2014, DE-CIX expanded to North America by starting operations in New York, before launching DE-CIX Istanbul in Turkiye, in 2015. One year later, DE-CIX became the first Internet Exchange operator in the world to offer remote peering between locations, beginning with their IXs in Frankfurt and New York. This innovative step greatly enhanced connectivity options for DE-CIX’s customers, as they could now peer with others based elsewhere in the world, without the need for a direct physical presence there.
In addition, the year 2016 also saw the go-live of four new locations in Europe and North America: Madrid, Marseille, Palermo, and Dallas. Another year later, DE-CIX entered the Indian market with the launch of DE-CIX Mumbai, thus adding Asia to the list of continents where DE-CIX offers its services. After opening a fourth Internet Exchange in Southern Europe – DE-CIX Lisbon – in 2018, the IX operator expanded further into Asia in 2019 with the opening of five new locations: two in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru) and another three in India (Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata).
And yet, DE-CIX kept working to further extend its position on the European, North American, and Asian markets. In 2020, DE-CIX Chicago and DE-CIX Singapore were taken live. Additionally, DE-CIX formalized its offering to build up and operate Internet Exchanges as a service for third parties (“DE-CIX as a Service”, DaaS), which led to the establishment of Ruhr-CIX in Germany and SEECIX in Athens in the same year, both powered by DE-CIX for partners. The launch of DE-CIX Barcelona in 2021 brought the number of DE-CIX’s Internet Exchanges in Southern Europe up to five, while a new location in Brunei, Borneo-IX powered by DE-CIX, was added to the list of ventures in Asia. With Phoenix and Richmond, two new locations were launched in North America in 2022, while Leipzig was taken live as the newest of DE-CIX’s German Internet Exchanges.
In addition, the year 2016 also saw the go-live of four new locations in Europe and North America: Madrid, Marseille, Palermo, and Dallas. Another year later, DE-CIX entered the Indian market with the launch of DE-CIX Mumbai, thus adding Asia to the list of continents where DE-CIX offers its services. After opening a fourth Internet Exchange in Southern Europe – DE-CIX Lisbon – in 2018, the IX operator expanded further into Asia in 2019 with the opening of five new locations: two in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru) and another three in India (Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata).
And yet, DE-CIX kept working to further extend its position on the European, North American, and Asian markets. In 2020, DE-CIX Chicago and DE-CIX Singapore were taken live. Additionally, DE-CIX formalized its offering to build up and operate Internet Exchanges as a service for third parties (“DE-CIX as a Service”, DaaS), which led to the establishment of Ruhr-CIX in Germany and SEECIX in Athens in the same year, both powered by DE-CIX for partners. The launch of DE-CIX Barcelona in 2021 brought the number of DE-CIX’s Internet Exchanges in Southern Europe up to five, while a new location in Brunei, Borneo-IX powered by DE-CIX, was added to the list of ventures in Asia. With Phoenix and Richmond, two new locations were launched in North America in 2022, while Leipzig was taken live as the newest of DE-CIX’s German Internet Exchanges.
Becoming a global company
The year 2022 brought a change in the company leadership, as Ivo Ivanov took over from Harald Summa as CEO. Under Ivanov’s leadership, DE-CIX further intensified its expansion strategy. As a result, the year 2023 saw a record of 14 new locations taken into service. In Northern Europe, five Internet Exchanges were built in Oslo and Kristiansand (Norway), Copenhagen and Esbjerg (Denmark), and Helsinki (Finland) to serve cloud connectivity to companies. In addition, three dedicated Cloud Exchanges were opened in Japan (Osaka and Tokyo) and in the US (Seattle). With this step, DE-CIX achieved another milestone: the company’s backbone now fully encircled the planet. Another five new IXs were established in context of the DE-CIX as a Service program with partners in Karachi (Pakistan), Lagos (Nigeria), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Aqaba (Jordan) and Baghdad (Iraq). And lastly, Hyderabad became DE-CIX’s fifth location in India.
Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX Group AG
“Our expansion activities demonstrate DE-CIX’s commitment to broaden our reach to new markets. We will continue to provide easy interconnection anywhere.”
2024 was a year of notable expansion as well. It saw the launch of DE-CIX’s fourth dedicated Cloud Exchange, this time in Amsterdam – the first one in Europe. However, the focus of the year’s expansion was more on Asia and North America, with new openings in Bengaluru (India), Jakarta (Indonesia), Penang (Malaysia), Houston (US), Mexico City, and Queretaro (Mexico). In 2025, the company’s 30th anniversary year, DE-CIX once again ventured into new territory by establishing two IXs in Brazil – in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, DE-CIX’s first locations in South America. Additionally, Doha-IX and SmartHub IX, both powered by DE-CIX and operated for partners in the Middle East, were announced.
Klaus Landefeld, Member of the Supervisory Board of DE-CIX Group AG
“Nowadays, continued global expansion is very important for DE-CIX. Our business thrives all around the world.”
Today, DE-CIX offers its services in 60 markets on five continents. In total, DE-CIX is accessible from data centers in over 600 cities worldwide, interconnecting thousands of networks. These numbers show how DE-CIX has become a truly global player. And the journey is far from over.
Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX Group AG
“With the dawn of the AI era, the interconnection industry faces exciting challenges: The future success of the real-time economy depends on ultra-low latencies. These are only possible with the help of deep-edge concepts, so the world-spanning network of digital infrastructure must become even more interwoven – on land, at sea, and even in space.”
Thus, to continue shaping the future of interconnection, DE-CIX will keep expanding its global network ecosystem while working towards an optimal integration of local, regional, and global interconnection across an ever-growing number of locations.