OTTAWA – The Ottawa-Gatineau Internet Exchange (OGIX) announced today it has deployed the first of two nodes in the capital region.
The first node is housed in a data centre operated by PureColo Inc. in the west end of Ottawa.
"We are excited to deploy our first internet exchange point location at PureColo, a leading provider of carrier-neutral data centre services with secure 24/7 access", said Christian Tacit, board chair, OGIX, in the press release. "The internet exchange will benefit Ottawa by improving local internet performance, attracting new companies to the region, and reducing transit costs for network operators connected to the OGIX exchange.
OGIX is a network-neutral, independent internet exchange and a not-for profit corporation run by a dedicated group of volunteers, at both the board and operational levels, as well as a number of sponsors and other community supporters. It has long been working towards the deployment of an IXP in the National Capital Region and was incorporated last year. Early sponsors of the organization: include; Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN), Internet Society, Storm Internet Services, Tacit Law and TekSavvy Solutions In
To celebrate the new Internet exchange point (IXP), peering fees for 10G ports will be $1,500 per year until the end of 2020 — a two-thirds discount off the regular rate. Additionally, the first ten organizations to peer will have their installation fees waived, reads its press release.
"We are thrilled to be hosting an OGIX node. Ottawa has been, for too long, left out of the mainstream development of the internet across Canada. OGIX finally fills this gap and becomes the platform to spur more innovation in the National Capital Region," said Rainer Paduch, CEO, PureColo.
OGIX provides the infrastructure through which internet service provider (ISP) networks and content delivery networks (CDNs) can interconnect to exchange internet traffic among their networks. This provides faster connectivity for users and reduced bandwidth costs for service providers. This interconnection model also keeps local traffic from crossing international borders unnecessarily, helping to improve data sovereignty and security, according to the OGIX release.
OGIX is also currently in the process of working to deploy an additional location, expected to be housed in a carrier hotel near downtown Ottawa. In addition, to ensure coverage throughout the National Capital Region, OGIX has plans to extend the infrastructure to include a node in Gatineau, says the release.
"Internet exchange points are essential civic infrastructure that add resilience, independence and flexibility to local networks. As residents of the National Capital Region, CIRA is proud support strengthening the internet in our own backyard," said Jacques Latour, chief technology officer, Canadian Internet Registration Authority, which is one of the champions of Canada's IXP networks, and supporter of OGIX.
