Frankfurt am Main (Germany)/Baghdad (Iraq), 03 April 2025. DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator, and IRAQ-IXP, the first and unique neutral Internet Exchange that serves all Iraqi regions, celebrate this month, with new milestones, the first anniversary of IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX. In just a year since IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX started operations, the IX has climbed the rankings to become the 3rd largest in the Middle East in terms of connected networks. IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX now has 28 networks connected and connecting, including global players such as Meta, Akamai, and TenCent. Peak traffic on the exchange has grown to almost 180 Gigabits per second (Gbit/s), up 150% since the beginning of January 2025.
The interconnection platform is hosted in the data center Iraq Connectivity Gateway (ICG) in Baghdad and operated by DE-CIX under the DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS) model. IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX is built on DE-CIX’s award-winning interconnection infrastructure, offering peering and enterprise-grade interconnection services. The interconnection platform serves as a hub for regional connectivity, enabling local networks low-latency interconnection and the localization of global content, while increasing network stability, scalability, and security.
“We are delighted by the strong growth of IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX in its first year of operations. Increasing numbers of national and international network operators want to offer services in Iraq as part of the vibrant local digital ecosystem growing around the exchange,” comments Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX, already the third largest in the Middle East and growing rapidly, serves the great demand in Iraq for increasing the speed, quality, and stability of Internet connectivity to guarantee the best experience possible for end users and businesses.”
“From the beginning, our vision was clear — to position Iraq as a digital hub for the region,” says Ahmed Rakwi, CEO of IRAQ-IXP. “Reaching the milestone of becoming the third-largest Internet Exchange in the Middle East within just one year is not only a reflection of our ambition, but also of the trust placed in us by global and local networks. Powered by DE-CIX, IRAQ-IXP is redefining connectivity standards in Iraq, and this is just the beginning”
DE-CIX, home to the largest neutral interconnection ecosystem in the world, has been active in the Middle East for more than a decade, and now operates IXs in multiple countries in the region: Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, as well as Turkey. IRAQ-IXP powered by DE-CIX joins such success stories as the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX in Dubai, also operated under the DaaS model. The DaaS program includes a set of services – such as installation, maintenance, provisioning, marketing and sales support – designed for carriers, data center operators, or other third parties to create their own Internet Exchange and interconnection platform fully operated by DE-CIX.