France-IX has chosen a fourth way: collaboration.
For a long time, the relationship between a national IXP and regional IXPs came down to three options: do nothing, interconnect, or merge (external growth).
Let’s be clear: France-IX is not going to set up in every city in France. That is not our vocation, and it would not be appropriate.
When we deploy a new site, we work to precise specifications that require financial, human and material investment: dedicated space in data centres, infrastructure to connect the city to the rest of the network, technical teams, 24/7 support, high redundancy and resilience.
That is what operators, businesses and institutions need.
But this approach is not necessarily suited to every place.
Regional IXPs, on the other hand, are already there and know their ecosystem perfectly, usually with a “best-effort” business model, which makes it harder to cover aspects such as 24/7 support or quality-of-service commitments…
The idea is simple: share our expertise, tools and services with regional IXPs so that they can:
- include SLAs (Service Level Agreements) in their offering;
- attract companies that today would not join a community infrastructure for lack of sufficient contractual guarantees;
- raise their quality without costs spiralling;
- offer new services.
The crucial point is that regional IXPs remain autonomous, keeping their local governance, their identity and their relationship with their ecosystem.
Why does it matter? And why now?
International competition among IXP-type infrastructures is getting markedly tougher. A fragmented national market is a vulnerable market.
Solidarity between French interconnection players is a strategy aimed at strengthening the regional links and consolidating sovereignty.
The regional IXPs we have spoken with appreciate the approach and are interested in the principle of cooperation.
But some told us that the level of ambition was perhaps too high for their needs. That is feedback we hear and take seriously.
Today, collaboration is being built step by step, from the real needs of each player. It is the path we have chosen: a little slower, perhaps, than building a new infrastructure, but more solid.
IXP-as-a-Service: your IXP, our operational excellence
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