Four IX Powers Announce Shift to 100G LR-1

Four of the biggest internet exchange providers said this week that that they will be putting a new generation of technology to work in their respective IX platforms. DE-CIX, LINX, AMS-IX, and BCIX plan to roll out 100G LR-1 technology to power the underlying connections in their infrastructure.

Whereas the current 100G LR-4 uses 4 lasers handling 25Gbps each, the transceiver upgrade will reduce that to a single laser leveraging PAM4 to transmit at 100Gbps all by itself. That means less complexity, lower power, and lower overall costs. The technology has been out there in other contexts for a while, with multiple vendors available to help make the shift.  This move by multiple major European IX providers will instantly pull it into the mainstream in the interconnection world.

Each will roll out the upgrade within their own core markets, meaning Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Berlin. It’s interesting that they chose to make this move as a group, and doing so probably increases the likelihood that IXs in North America, APAC, and beyond will quickly do the same to keep pace.

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Categories: Interconnection