Internet exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX says that more than 48 exabytes (EB) of data were exchanged via the company’s IXs worldwide in 2022. That figure compares to the 38 EB exchanged last year (see "DE-CIX internet exchange data traffic exceeds 38 exabytes in 2021"). Among other factors, the World Cup football/soccer tournament helped drive the increase in traffic levels, DE-CIX reported.
Most if not all of DE-CIX’s exchanges registered upticks in traffic. The company’s largest IX, in Frankfurt, saw nearly 34 EB throughput in 2022. Peak traffic hit more than 14 Tbps. The company’s exchanges in New York, Madrid, and Mumbai also saw significant data growth; all surpassed 1-Tbps in peak-traffic mark in 2022. DE-CIX Dallas almost doubled its data traffic during the year, passing the 500 Gbps mark and finishing the year at 625 Gbps.
As mentioned the World Cup drove significant traffic. UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX in Dubai saw peak traffic reach almost 400 Gbps on November 22, coinciding with the Soccer World Cup game between Argentina and Saudi Arabia. Worldwide, DE-CIX IXs saw the most traffic on December 14, coinciding with the World Cup semifinal between France and Morocco. The IXs experienced a 132-TB data flow in a single minute, which gave the IXs in New York and Frankfurt new traffic records.
“The peak throughput for the World Cup semifinals shows how much all areas of life are becoming digitalized worldwide. Whether at work – with regular video conferences – or at play, e.g., when streaming sports events, digital services have become an indispensable part of our everyday lives,” stated Dr. Christoph Dietzel, global head of products and research at DE-CIX.
“More and more data is being transmitted over the Internet, simply because modern, digital applications and services require more and more data from different sources. This trend will undoubtedly continue as consumer demands for digital applications continue to rise – not to mention with the Metaverse just around the corner,” Dietzel added. “The global DE-CIX ecosystem is growing steadily. Not only are new locations being added, but traffic at our largest established IXs, such as in Frankfurt, Mumbai, New York, and Madrid, is growing irrepressibly.”
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