Transport partnership extends reach of DE-CIX Chicago to a further 20 points of presence, bringing low-latency access to content and gaming networks for Internet Service Providers in the Upper Midwest.
Minneapolis (MN)/Chicago (IL). South Front Networks, a leading provider of carrier-neutral transport and interconnection services, and Internet Exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX, today announced their partnership to enhance connectivity for ISPs from the Upper Midwest to content, including major gaming networks, through DE-CIX Chicago. South Front Networks’ customers can benefit from turnkey low-cost transport, protected routes, and no additional cross-connect costs to access the leading data center and carrier neutral IX operator in North America.
Ranked #2 in the Chicago market, DE-CIX Chicago connects 80+ networks, including content not readily available at other regional exchanges. South Front Networks’ customers can take advantage of the network density in Chicago without even needing a Point of Presence (PoP) there. The 400 GE interconnection is already in place, and the service is orderable as of today.
By focusing exclusively on the “middle-mile”, South Front Networks is well positioned to work alongside both international tier 1 providers and local last-mile access providers. Their points of presence offer quick, easy, and cost-effective interconnect solutions, including transport, transit, and Internet Exchanges. South Front Networks has 20 PoPs and a network spanning Peoria (IL) to Des Moines (IA), and on to Minneapolis (MN).
The fastest-growing IX in Illinois, DE-CIX Chicago has experienced more than 300% traffic growth in the last 12 months. The exchange offers access ports ranging from 10 GE through to 400 GE, well-equipped for growing volumes of data traffic. DE-CIX Chicago is also the only major exchange in the Chicago metro area to become a Google Verified Peering Partner (gold status), enabling connected networks to peer directly with the hyperscaler.
“South Front Networks, with its focus on the US middle-mile and reach across three states, is a perfect partner to bring local and regional ISPs to DE-CIX Chicago. We welcome the opportunity to allow ISPs from the Midwest to cost-effectively and easily access content networks in Chicago without having to have a PoP in the Windy City,” said Ed d’Agostino, Vice President, DE-CIX North America. “By connecting to DE-CIX Chicago, ISPs and organizations benefit from low-latency access to many regionally unique content networks, as well as reliable and diverse connectivity to major content providers that appear elsewhere in the region.”
"South Front Networks is excited to bring yet another turnkey peering opportunity for carriers in the Upper Midwest,” said Jay Hanke, President at South Front Networks. “The new interconnection with DE-CIX will help level the interconnection playing field for smaller carriers in the Upper Midwest."
DE-CIX Chicago is directly connected to the entire ecosystem of DE-CIX exchanges in North America, including New York, Dallas, Phoenix, Richmond, and Houston, the Cloud Exchange in Seattle, and the distributed IX DE-CIX Mexico. Together, these form the largest neutral interconnection ecosystem on the continent, enabling networks to connect remotely and exchange data traffic with networks in other DE-CIX locations. Through the DE-CIX backbone, connected networks also gain access to DE-CIX’s global interconnection ecosystem, including more than 60 cities across South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
