Mr Malcolm Rodrigues: We want to lower interconnectivity costs by up to 90 per cent and provide extensive peering opportunities for our members.

The launch of services by Singapore Internet Exchange (SGIX) on 15 June 2010 is expected to establish the nation as a regional hub for Internet traffic as well as lower operating costs and increase performance by providing faster and more seamless access to broadband services.

Currently, service providers rely mainly on transit networks to exchange local traffic. This incurs high costs due to the need to establish multiple connecting links. It also increases latency and affects the overall broadband experience for end-users, especially if local traffic needs to be routed through overseas networks. With SGIX providing a neutral and central point of Internet traffic exchange, telcos, Internet service providers and content providers now have a single node within the country that can connect all its members to the exchange and to each other.

“By providing a fast and cost effective way for Internet traffic exchange, SGIX will improve the quality and speed of broadband for Singapore users,” said RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. “This will enable Singapore to grow as a telecommunications hub by becoming a central point of exchange for local and international Internet traffic.”

SGIX is targeting to exchange up to 50 per cent of local Internet traffic. Its members include major telcos and service providers such as 1-Net Singapore, Deutsche Telekom Asia, France Telecom Long Distance, Infocomm Asia Holdings, LGA, M1, NewMedia Express, Nucleus Connect, PacNet Global, SingAREN, Singapore Telecommunications, StarHub, SuperInternet, Tata Communications International, and Voxel.

With the two nodes located at the data centres in Global Switch and 1-Net Singapore, SGIX now offers services that include flexible port in 100 Mbps, 1Gbps, and 10Gbps Ethernet connections, and port fees ranging from S$800 to S$5,000 per month depending on port speed. SGIX will also provide value-added services such as link aggregation and route server services.

Run as a not-for-profit organisation, the company offers “cost-based services for our members to peer their IP (Internet Protocol) traffic as well as to access regional and international IP markets”, said SGIX Chairman Mr Malcolm Rodrigues. “We want to lower interconnectivity costs by up to 90 per cent and provide extensive peering opportunities for our members.”

This, in turn, provides a boost for the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) by facilitating the seamless delivery of services and content. The Next Gen NBN is on track to be deployed nationwide by 2012 and will deliver island-wide ultra-high speed broadband access of up to 1Gbps and beyond.

Singapore is experiencing significant growth in IP-based services and applications, and SGIX facilitates direct and efficient exchange of traffic for its members reducing latency and overall operating costs. “As a result, members are able to provide faster and more cost effective services to their customers,” said Mr Rodrigues. “This increases customer satisfaction.”