Telecoms operator Telstra (ASX: TLS) has partnered with hosting company Equinix (NASDA: EQIX) to expand global access and direct connectivity between North America and eight of the world’s major futures and commodities exchanges.

Developed as a purpose-built solution for capital markets and fintech companies in North America, Telstra Octagon uses Telstra’s global networks to support high-frequency trading activities.

With Telstra’s financial trading solution available on Platform Equinix, Telstra said it can now offer financial organisations enhanced network connectivity, as well as access to Equinix data centre, colocation and Equinix Fabric interconnection services adjacent to the exchanges.

Nicholas Collins, president, Telstra, Americas, said: “Our collaboration with Equinix allows capital markets and fintech companies to benefit from low-latency connectivity, which is critical in high-frequency trading environments where every millisecond can mean the difference between huge gains or losses.

“Once they’re on Telstra Octagon, it’s easy to access additional network delivery services as needed, providing flexibility to expand and transform as situations change.”

Priority end-to-end access enables financial and trading organisations to respond to market-moving events as they happen and execute investment strategies across Asian and North American capital markets.

Jules Johnston, Senior Vice President, Global Channels, Equinix, said: “Telstra Octagon integrates with the Equinix global services portfolio – including colocation, interconnection and digital services – enabling trading connectivity in close proximity to more than 1,250 companies in the Equinix financial ecosystem.

“The ability to combine Telstra’s low-latency network technology with the global interconnect capabilities of Platform Equinix is powerful, and we look forward to Telstra Octagon customers reaping the benefits of our collaborative solutions.”

With Telstra Octagon, organisations can access high-frequency trading environments including the NASDAQ and CBOE exchanges in Equinix NY, CME and ICE, ASX in Australia, HKEX in Hong Kong, SGX in Singapore, TAIFEX in Taiwan, KRX in South Korea and JPX in Japan — representing more than a trillion dollars in contracts traded daily.