Internet Exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX has launched DE-CIX Barcelona bulking up on interconnection services like peering and private interconnection, along with cloud exchange services through its Apollon platform, and additional access to public clouds, including Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, IBM Bluemix and Oracle.

Following agreements on availability in the premium enabled sites in the bitNAP and Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) data centres, the company has also said that it will offer its interconnection services in the new EdgeConneX data centre in Barcelona.

Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX International, said: “Barcelona is among the top 10 economic centres in Europe by GDP and is also the most promising emerging digital hub, thanks to the great potential of the submarine cables to be deployed in the near future. This will bring the entire digital ecosystem of the Iberian Peninsula to a new level.”

All DE-CIX IXs in Southern Europe serve domestic markets, as well as establishing new European gateways to South and North America, Africa, and Asia.

Along with interconnecting to DE-CIX Madrid and Marseille, DE-CIX Barcelona is interconnected with one of the world’s largest IXs, DE-CIX Frankfurt.

Close to 30 network operators (carriers), Internet service providers (ISPs), content providers, and enterprise networks have already started to exchange traffic in DE-CIX Barcelona.

Among those are Google and Microsoft, as well as local entities such as the Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació de la Generalitat de Catalunya (CTTI).

Vice President and Minister for Digital Policies and Public Administration of Catalonia, Jordi Puigneró, said: “The landing of DE-CIX in Barcelona, guaranteeing a first-level and global Internet Exchange, augments and amplifies the impact of the arrival of international submarine cables and the digital port that will host them – all of these being key components to achieve the objectives of the Catalan government’s digital strategy.

“This Internet Exchange will be an enrichment for our economy and our citizens, since it positions Catalonia as a pole of attraction for companies and international investments in the field of data centres and data exchange points, and will allow substantial improvements in user experience for all those services that require very low latency. We are talking, therefore, of a key investment in the generation of wealth, talent and high value-added jobs.”

The latest study conducted by DE-CIX in collaboration with EllaLink and Interxion this year, “The Southern European Interconnection Landscape”, demonstrates Barcelona’s potential as an interconnectivity hub, with bandwidth increasing by 35% since 2016.

With three IXs in operation, and its first international submarine cable coming in 2023, the city is set to assume a more relevant role across the European Internet segment.