DE-CIX targets Instanbul for Internet exchange

Internet exchange operator DE-CIX says it plans to build an Internet exchange facilities in Istanbul, Turkey. The facility would target Internet service providers from Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus region, and the Middle East.

DE-CIX plans to begin with a single location, but plans to expand to several data centers across the metropolitan area. It expects the first facility will be operational in the third quarter of this year.

The company sees the Turkish market as a growth opportunity, both to serve the country's own needs as well as because of its status as a hub for fiber-optic networks that serve the Middle East.

For example, Turkey is home to more than 470 Internet providers. Meanwhile, both undersea cable and terrestrial networks such as MedNautilus, AMEER (Alternative Middle East European Route), GBI North, JADI (Jeddah-Amman-Damascus-Istanbul), and RCN (Regional Cable Network) have have landing points in Istanbul.

"Istanbul is already a hub for finance, logistics and transport. Like we've experienced in Frankfurt, Internet infrastructure follows these developments," explained Harald A. Summa, DE-CIX CEO. "The need has grown tremendously to interconnect the critical traffic streams that travel from other regions through Istanbul and bring them closer to their destinations. Content, cloud, gaming, and other providers will meet the eyeball networks halfway at this new exchange."

The Instanbul exchange is the latest in DE-CIX's expansion plans. The company has announced plans for new Internet exchanges in Palermo, Italy and Marseille, France as well (see "TI Sparkle, DE-CIX establish neutral Internet exchange in Palermo").

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