LINX and Scottish Government launch new Internet Exchange for Scotland

SCOTLAND: LINX is pleased to announce the launch of a brand new Internet Exchange for Scotland, which is now fully installed and will be passing its first Internet traffic over the next few days. The exchange called IXScotland will be LINX's first dedicated Internet Exchange (IXP) for the region.

Hosted at Pulsant's South Gyle data centre in Edinburgh (formerly Scolocate), IXScotland is built using the hardware from Extreme's Summit X460 Series. The new IXP will allow ISPs and content providers with customers in Scotland to "keep local traffic local" by reducing the need to exchange traffic in London, resulting in reduced latency and faster connectivity for Scottish networks and Internet users.

The launch is the culmination of months of consultation with the local network community and the Scottish Government. The IXP launched with many networks connected from the start and with more to follow.

The launch was welcomed by the Scottish Government with the Cabinet Secretary, John Swinney, who visited IXScotland just before launch and said: "We are delighted to welcome the establishment of a dedicated Internet Exchange Point for Scotland which will speed up Internet access for businesses and individuals. I want to recognise the key contribution of LINX, who have worked with the industry and Scottish Government to make this happen."