SAY
GOODBYE

TO SECOND-CLASS
INTERNET.

We’re bringing
carrier-neutral
Internet Exchange
Points (IXPs)
to small cities and
towns across
America.

The future of the internet will require network interconnection, cloud on-ramps, and content to be located closer to end-users.

IXPs improve regional internet performance by reducing latency and keeping internet traffic local that needs to stay local, while making cloud services and content faster and more reliable.

IXPs also lower costs for everyone by creating a marketplace that fosters competition among middle-mile and wholesale (IP transit) providers. States that do not have an IXP strategy are simply falling behind.

Federal funding is now available to bring an IXP to your state or community. Contact us to learn more!

The full list of CNIXP’s 125 target communities can be found here.

About Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) from Connected Nation on Vimeo.

Let us help you establish an Internet Exchange Point in your state or community

IXPs make the internet operate more efficiently and reliably.

Unfortunately, IXPs can be found in less than 60 areas across the U.S. Connected Nation believes that the construction of new IXPs will be an essential step towards closing the Digital Divide.

By placing carrier-neutral IXP’s in additional – and critical – locations across the US we can expand access to include millions more Americans. Furthermore, adding an IXP to a rural or underserved area decreases costs for local, smaller internet providers—which is passed along to area businesses, community organizations, and residents.

Click here to read the CN-IXP Interconnection Policy & Fairness Statement

Interested in what a carrier-neutral IXP could do for your state or community?

Contact our team of industry veterans and IXP experts now at ixp@connectednation.org with subject line IXP or fill out the contact form.

Frequently asked questions about Internet Exchange Points:

Can current federal funding be used to build an IXP?

What is the difference between an IXP and IX?

An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) is a physical building through which local ISPs, cloud services, content delivery networks and Internet Protocol (IP) networks of all types exchange Internet traffic between their networks.

An Internet Exchange (IX) is an Ethernet switch housed within the IXP that enables IP network operators to exchange Internet traffic with one another over the switch fabric. IP network operators connect to an IX port, which allows them to connect to other networks and exchange traffic, which is known as “peering,” depending on their respective peering policies.

Are all IXPs created equal?

The short answer is “no.”

The long answer is that some IXP facilities are not “carrier-neutral.” This means they primarily benefit some networks over others.

A carrier neutral IXP, on the other hand, offers a level playing field where networks of all types and sizes may freely interconnect with one another. That neutrality also drives more networks to establish a presence in the IXP, which benefits everyone.

What happens when an area does not have a nearby IXP?

When a community or region lacks an IXP, local service providers must pay to backhaul traffic to the nearest IXP, which may be hundreds of miles away, to exchange information with other networks. This is incredibly inefficient, and it makes accessing cloud and content seem slow and less responsive. It also means that local broadband providers pay higher rates than they should for wholesale internet access, or “IP transit”. These costs are passed along not only to individual subscribers but also to schools, hospitals, and small businesses. IXPs can serve as a local marketplace where wholesale backbone providers compete for local business, resulting in as much as 90% reduction in cost.

What else can an IXP do for my state or community?

Beyond driving down costs and making the exchange of traffic more efficient, IXPs also future-proof communities as new technologies and applications become available. The massive explosion of IoT (or internet of things) devices means that efficient traffic routing and local interconnection with cloud services is going to be increasingly important. Cities and regions without a carrier-neutral facility and IXP are simply going to be relegated to a second-class internet experience. For those areas, the Digital Divide will only continue to widen, negatively affecting economic development, education, healthcare, and nearly every aspect of modern life.

Where are IXPs now being used?

Which areas of the country lack an IXP?

Why contact Connected Nation about YOUR IXP?

How we can help! Connected Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is working to develop carrier neutral IXP facilities in new cities and regions across the United States—an important step in fulfilling our mission to close the Digital Divide for all people. From site selection and engineering & design to ongoing operations and maintenance, Connected Nation has assembled a team of industry veterans with decades of experience in the development and operations of these IXP facilities.

Let Connected Nation help you improve your state or region’s broadband ecosystem.

Contact us at info@connectednation.org or fill out the contact form on this web page to learn more about how we can help you.

SAY
GOODBYE

TO SECOND-CLASS
INTERNET.

Let us help you establish an Internet Exchange Point in your state or community

IXPs make the internet operate more efficiently and reliably.

Interested in what a carrier-neutral IXP could do for your state or community?

Frequently asked questions about Internet Exchange Points:

Let Connected Nation help you improve your state or region’s broadband ecosystem.

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SAY GOODBYE

TO SECOND-CLASS INTERNET.

Let us help you establish an Internet Exchange Point in your state or community

IXPs make the internet operate more efficiently and reliably.

Interested in what a carrier-neutral IXP could do for your state or community?

Frequently asked questions about Internet Exchange Points:

Let Connected Nation help you improve your state or region’s broadband ecosystem.

SAY
GOODBYE

TO SECOND-CLASS
INTERNET.