Date: 28 January 2026
Accessing multiple Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) has long been the hallmark of a truly global network. Yet the process of connecting to each exchange, individually, physically, and contractually, has traditionally created more friction than reach.
Organisations wanting to expand their internet presence across continents often encounter an accumulation of hardware, cross-connects, co-location fees, and separate membership requirements before any traffic can flow. Remote peering changes that equation entirely. Instead of building a presence at every exchange, networks can access many through a single, streamlined connection.
Multi-IXP access is more important than ever in an era where digital interactions span borders, cloud applications shift dynamically, and end-users expect consistent responsiveness regardless of geography. Remote peering provides the mechanism to simplify this once tedious process, making it possible for organisations to interconnect intelligently and at scale—without the operational weight once associated with global peering.
Why Multi-IXP Access Matters More Than Ever
The value of exchanging traffic at IXPs
IXPs act as the central meeting points where networks exchange traffic directly. By bypassing third-party transit providers, organisations gain improvements in latency, reliability, and cost efficiency. Many of the world’s largest digital service providers, cloud operators, streaming platforms, and financial institutions interconnect at IXPs to serve global audiences more effectively.
A single major IXP may host connections to hundreds of IP networks. Gaining access to multiple IXPs expands that diversity even further, offering a broader ecosystem of partners and optimised pathways. For businesses operating internationally, multi-IXP access ensures that traffic can be handed off as close as possible to end-users, cloud regions, or local providers.
The traditional barriers to multi-IXP reach
Under the traditional direct peering model, an organisation must deploy infrastructure at each IXP it wishes to join. This means:
- Installing physical hardware
- Maintaining a Point of Presence (PoP) in each facility
- Paying for colocation and utilities
- Managing individual cross-connects
- Handling multiple vendor relationships and service level agreements (SLAs)
Even when justified for a handful of locations, replicating this globally creates operational strain, as the work multiplies with every new market.
Remote peering emerged to eliminate these barriers. It allows networks to access many IXPs without physically deploying equipment, thus replacing logistical complexity with a virtualised, more agile model of global interconnection.
How Remote Peering Simplifies Multi-IXP Connectivity
Remote peering enables organisations to exchange traffic at IXPs through a provider that already has a presence there. Instead of building their own PoP, businesses use a Layer 2 connection to reach the IXP’s switching fabric. They appear as local participants, able to peer with other networks at the exchange, but without needing to maintain any physical infrastructure on-site.
This single shift removes the fragmentation that normally accompanies multi-IXP scaling. Rather than onboarding at each individual exchange, organisations manage all connections centrally.
A single interconnection port for multiple IXPs
One of the most significant benefits is consolidation. Businesses can use a single interconnection port to access numerous IXPs, with each exchange represented by its own Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). This reduces the number of interfaces, cross-connects, and physical resources required.
Remote peering providers maintain extensive geographical footprints. Some support connectivity into more than 16 major IXPs worldwide, and provide access to thousands of peering members through their global on-ramp locations. In practical terms, this means one port can unlock an ecosystem that would otherwise require substantial investment and engineering.
No hardware deployment
Joining an IXP directly requires physical infrastructure such as routers, transceivers, cabling, power, and ongoing maintenance. Remote peering eliminates the need for equipment entirely, as businesses simply connect to the provider’s infrastructure and request access to their chosen IXPs.
This drastically lowers capital expenditure and removes the recurring costs associated with maintaining remote infrastructure. For organisations expanding rapidly across regions, this difference is profound.
Faster onboarding and scaling
Physical deployments at IXPs can take weeks or months to arrange. Remote peering, by contrast, allows new exchange connections to be provisioned significantly faster. In some cases, connections can be activated on demand through a digital interface, enabling scaling in a matter of days rather than months.
This agility is especially valuable for cloud-driven businesses and content platforms that must match infrastructure growth with surging user demand.
Performance Advantages of Multi-IXP Access
Connecting to more than one IXP is not just about reach, but also about significant improvements in performance, resilience, and routing control.
Reduced latency through shorter paths
Traffic can be handed off at IXPs located closer to end-users or cloud regions, reducing unnecessary transit hops. The ability to exchange traffic in strategically located markets means applications, from content streaming to real-time services, benefit from lower latency and more predictable performance.
With global IXPs connected by high-performance backbones, remote peering ensures that the quality of the underlying network infrastructure meets enterprise-grade expectations.
Improved routing and bypassing congestion
Multi-IXP access gives network administrators finer control over traffic flows. Instead of relying heavily on transit providers, businesses can distribute traffic among IXPs, choosing the most efficient pathways. This helps to avoid congested routes, reduce packet loss, and maintain consistent performance even during peak traffic periods.
Enhanced resiliency
Organisations with access to multiple IXPs can easily diversify their interconnection paths. If one exchange or regional route experiences issues, traffic can shift to another IXP. This redundancy strengthens reliability, supporting businesses that require uninterrupted connectivity across continents.
Operational Efficiency at Global Scale
Multi-IXP access traditionally comes with heavy operational weight, but remote peering removes much of the friction.
Simplified vendor and contract management
Instead of handling separate contracts and SLAs for every IXP, organisations interact with a single provider. This streamlines billing, support, and administrative tasks, allowing engineering teams to focus their efforts on network optimisation rather than logistics.
Centralised control of interconnections
Remote peering brings consistency across all IXP connections. Policies, configurations, and scaling activities follow a unified approach, removing the fragmentation that arises when dealing with multiple facilities and providers.
Alignment with cloud-era operating models
Today’s networks are expected to grow dynamically alongside cloud infrastructure. Remote peering mirrors that agility by allowing businesses to scale their multi-IXP presence without deploying hardware or renegotiating physical installations.
Cost Efficiency Across Regions
Lower upfront investment
Direct peering requires extensive physical resources. Remote peering removes all of these requirements, offering a more predictable cost structure aligned with service-based pricing models.
Reduced ongoing operating costs
By removing the need for cross-connects and maintenance, organisations significantly reduce operational expenditure. In real-life scenarios, consolidating multiple direct peering relationships into a single remote peering service has been shown to reduce annual costs by as much as 40%, and in other globally distributed deployments by 14% .
Scaling becomes cost-efficient
With remote peering, expanding into new markets no longer requires new capital projects. Instead, organisations add new IXPs through the same interconnection port. This makes international expansion both faster and more financially sustainable.
Providers of Streamlined Multi-IXP Access
One example of a provider enabling this simplicity is Epsilon, which offers remote peering through its global network and PoPs. Through a single service port, organisations can allocate VLANs to multiple IXPs, connecting to exchanges such as AMS-IX, LINX, DE-CIX, and SGIX. The service is delivered through dedicated Layer 2 connectivity and can be provisioned via its Network-as-a-Service platform, Infiny.
This approach exemplifies how remote peering reduces complexity and accelerates global reach. Instead of managing numerous physical deployments, businesses operate through a unified digital interface, dramatically simplifying multi-IXP operations.
Why Remote Peering Has Become Essential for Multi-IXP Strategies
Remote peering meets the demands of modern network architecture by offering:
1. A scalable foundation for global reach
Access to multiple IXPs through one connection allows organisations to expand internationally without incremental infrastructure builds.
2. Superior performance and routing control
The ability to hand traffic off at multiple nearby exchanges improves latency and stabilises digital experiences worldwide.
3. Operational streamlining
Centralisation replaces fragmentation—one provider, one SLA, one management process.
4. Lower costs across the board
With no PoP deployments and no hardware maintenance, networks achieve materially lower long-term costs.
Together, these attributes transform multi-IXP strategies from an infrastructure-intensive undertaking into an agile, cost-effective, and future-ready practice.
Conclusion
Multi-IXP access is vital for organisations that operate across regions or support global user bases. However, traditional methods of achieving this reach demand disproportionate effort.
Remote peering changes that reality by consolidating multi-IXP access into a single, efficient framework. It unlocks extensive interconnection opportunities without hardware deployments, accelerates time-to-market in new geographies, and aligns network expansion with the flexibility expected in the cloud-driven era.
As global digital engagement continues to grow, remote peering offers a streamlined, intelligent pathway for building resilient, high-performance networks, making the once-complex task of reaching multiple IXPs not just achievable, but remarkably simple.
