DE-CIX & MASS-IX open one-hop Boston-New York link

DE-CIX and MASS-IX have partnered to provide direct one-hop interconnection between New England and New York, giving Boston-area networks access to DE-CIX New York.

The link connects MASS-IX, which serves more than 70 networks in the Boston market, with DE-CIX New York, the largest internet exchange in the north-east United States. It removes the need for customers to buy transport into New York or pay remote cross-connect charges.

The partnership is intended to address a long-standing connectivity gap for networks in New England, where access to content and other networks in New York has typically come with extra cost and delay. By creating a direct route into the New York exchange, networks in Massachusetts and the wider region can reach non-local networks with lower latency.

MASS-IX is available across more than 12 data centres in the Boston area and has close to 3 terabits of connected capacity. It handles peak traffic of more than 300 gigabits per second and has built its customer base around local internet service providers, educational networks and other regional operators.

DE-CIX New York connects more than 260 networks across more than 40 data centres and handled more than 5 exabytes of total data throughput in 2025. It is also linked to the operator's other North American locations, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Richmond, Seattle and Mexico, as well as sites in South America and Europe.

The first network to use the new arrangement is TOWARDEX, a Boston-based infrastructure company, which is already exchanging traffic with networks in New York through the link.

Regional access

The agreement also extends the reach of DE-CIX's wider interconnection platform into New England through MASS-IX. Local participants can use the Boston exchange as an entry point to other DE-CIX exchanges in the US and overseas, rather than connecting separately into those markets.

For operators in New England, New York has long been the closest major hub for reaching a broader mix of networks and content providers. The one-hop model is designed to simplify that access by making the New York exchange directly reachable from the local exchange environment.

Ed d'Agostino, Vice President, DE-CIX North America, said the partnership brings together two neutral exchanges to improve connectivity for networks in the region.

"DE-CIX is proud to be partnering MASS-IX - bringing together two neutral and high-performance Internet Exchanges for the betterment of both parties," said Ed d'Agostino, Vice President, DE-CIX North America. "New York represents the lowest latency location for New England networks to reach non-local networks, and this interconnection makes this possible and easy to implement. The community in Massachusetts and all of New England will be able to improve performance and latency to content by peering with networks connected to DE-CIX New York. This is an excellent example of how DE-CIX works with neutral IXs to improve the Internet in the US and help others better serve their markets."

MASS-IX said the deal fits with its original aim of improving network performance while cutting the cost of interconnection in Massachusetts.

"By partnering with DE-CIX, we are providing a new additional turnkey avenue for peering and internet interconnections for ISPs and internet networks throughout New England. We're excited to partner with DE-CIX to bring leading, world-class peering capabilities and interconnection ecosystems to Massachusetts," said Jun.

Boston footprint

MASS-IX was launched in 2015 by TOWARDEX and has grown into the largest carrier-neutral and data centre-neutral internet exchange in New England. Its footprint across multiple facilities has made it a central peering point for regional providers looking to exchange traffic locally rather than sending it through larger out-of-state hubs.

TOWARDEX said its infrastructure model is designed to open access to data centre connectivity across Boston. The company's Hub Express System is an underground utility network intended to link data centre sites while separating connectivity infrastructure from real estate ownership.

That structure means participants connected through the Hub Express System can now gain direct access to DE-CIX New York through the MASS-IX partnership. The arrangement gives Boston-area networks a local route into one of the region's largest interconnection ecosystems, spanning more than 40 data centres and over 260 connected networks.