Zayo, Netflix establish joint peering exchange in Atlanta

Zayo's zColo division and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) have partnered to become founding members for Community IX Holdings' (CIX) newest community-based peering exchange in Atlanta, Ga. (CIX-ATL).

Under the terms of the agreement, zColo will provide power and underlying network connectivity, while Netflix will provide the switching equipment and associated technology required to run the exchange.

Virginia-based Community IX Holdings was launched last year during the North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG) meeting, NANOG 62, in Baltimore.

As a member-driven peering platform that's focused on the Southeastern U.S. and Latin American markets, CIX resides in zColo's 36 NE Second Street facility in Miami. Similarly, the new CIX-ATL platform will reside in zColo's neutral colocation facility at 1100 White Street NW in Atlanta.

Netflix and Zayo, which are searching for other interconnection peering partners, will serve as initial member participants on CIX-ATL.

By creating this new neutral peering point, Zayo and Netflix could potentially attract other smaller content and service providers that are looking to stay apace with increasing Internet traffic volumes with a set of new connectivity options.

Peering partners that come to this site would also be able to access Zayo's growing domestic and international fiber networks, which includes more than 85,500 route miles.

CIX-ATL is just one of a number emerging neutral peering sites that are emerging.

In Ohio, Cologix and OARnet are in the process of launching the Ohio-IX as a member-run Internet exchange. Set to go live in the fourth quarter, the objective of Ohio-IX is to establish a regional Internet exchange that will allow Internet traffic to be passed between members without having to traverse to exchange points in cities like Chicago or Washington, D.C., and then back to Columbus. 

For more:
- see the release

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