Nokia to upgrade New York’s biggest internet exchangeNokia to upgrade New York’s biggest internet exchange

The DE-CIX backbone will be upgraded to 400 Gigabit Ethernet using Nokia optical technology and redesigned in a ring topology, redundantly interconnecting the 10 data centre facilities where DE-CIX infrastructure is housed, states the release.

The Nokia optical solution also enables 800GE support for anticipated further growth of the IX and employs Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) technology, which is supposed to provide greater routing flexibility, faster reaction times in the case of incidents, and a “seamless customer experience without any service interruptions.”

We’re told that within a dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) system, the ROADM technology in Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) makes it possible to automatically reroute waves at the optical layer in any direction around the backbone. What this means, we are further told, is that incidents at any location in the network can be mitigated more rapidly and less capacity is required at the IP layer for same level of resilience.

“In today’s connected world, staying resilient and ready to scale is a must,” said James Watt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Nokia’s Optical business. “This upgrade to DE-CIX New York’s backbone isn’t just about supporting the largest Internet Exchange in the Northeast — it’s about shaping the future of connectivity in one of the world’s biggest markets. With Nokia’s cutting-edge optical tech, we’re ensuring networks are flexible, reliable, and ready to handle whatever comes next. Together with DE-CIX, we’re building the foundation for a limitless digital future.”

Ed d’Agostino, Vice President DE-CIX North America, added: “This upgrade, powered by Nokia’s optical technology, allows us to future-proof our platform to best serve the New York market and start 2025 on track for further growth. With the number of data centers that we integrate, it is imperative that we have a state-of-the-art transport network with scalable capacity. DE-CIX New York is the largest IX in New York and the youngest Internet Exchange in the Top 5 largest IXs in the US.

“The platform covers an area spanning Long Island to the East and Piscataway and Edison to the South and West. It connects over 265 networks from across the city, with an infrastructure that spans over 40 data centers served.”

DE-CIX New York is connected to all other DE-CIX locations in North America, and to DE-CIX’s locations in Europe, including DE-CIX Frankfurt, which it says is the largest IX in Europe.

Last week Nokia landed three similar deals to upgrade internet exchanges in Japan, the UK and Spain, and last year it announced it had contracts with 23 IXPs all in all, including Telehouse NYIIX, NL-ix, LINX, LINX NoVa, BIX, DE-CIX, France-ix, ESpanix, LINX Nairobi, TOP-ix and TREX.