Ooredoo and DE-CIX are accelerating the development of Doha IX. As of today, Qatar’s first commercial Internet Exchange (IX) is directly connected to DE-CIX Marseille.
Operated by Qatar’s leading telecommunications provider and powered by the world’s leading Internet Exchange operator, Doha IX now enables connected networks not only to exchange data directly with almost 120 networks in the French city, but also remotely with almost 1,100 networks connected to DE-CIX Frankfurt, Europe’s largest IX.
The interconnection between the Middle Eastern and European exchanges enables carriers from the Gulf region to access cloud and connectivity services not yet available locally in Qatar.
More clouds and more networks
Since its launch in October last year, Doha IX has been operated under the DE-CIX as a Service model and is hosted in Ooredoo’s state-of-the-art data centre. The rapidly growing number of networks connected to this interconnection hub can interconnect directly – both locally and remotely through Marseille – with regional and global hyperscalers, cloud providers, content networks, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to exchange data securely and seamlessly, adding an additional level of resilience for cloud connectivity from the region.
With the DE-CIX service DirectCLOUD already available at Doha IX, leading cloud providers such as AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud can now be reached in a dedicated and private manner. Enterprises that want to enable data exchange directly between cloud services cost efficiently and in low latency can use the DE-CIX Cloud ROUTER. This virtual routing service optimises communication between different providers in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Networks in Qatar can now leverage their capabilities and pass the advantages on to their customers.
Strengthening regional connectivity
“The direct interconnection between the IXs in Doha and Marseille brings the world closer together,” says Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “By providing even better performance and user experience for Internet-based content and applications, our collaboration with Ooredoo opens up new opportunities for Qatar’s digital economy. Enhanced connectivity will further strengthen the digital ecosystem in the GCC – supporting economic growth and innovation, while paving the way for the amazing digital decades ahead of us.”
“The direct interconnection between Doha IX and DE-CIX Marseille represents a strategic expansion of Qatar’s global digital reach,” adds Hassan Ismail Al Emadi, Chief Business Officer at Ooredoo Qatar. “By linking our national interconnection platform with one of Europe’s leading Internet Exchange ecosystems, we are enabling differentiated digital performance through lower latency, enhanced resilience, and secure, seamless access to global cloud and content networks. This collaboration reinforces Qatar’s position as a regional digital gateway and enables enterprises to operate with greater performance, reach, and competitiveness, accelerating digital transformation across Qatar and the wider GCC.”
Doha IX is a carrier-neutral interconnection hub. The IX offers low-latency, high-performance connectivity for local interconnection, as well as seamless integration into the global DE-CIX ecosystem. In addition, the IX already provides premium services such as the Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS), which allows companies and government agencies in Qatar to access Software as a Service applications like MS Teams or Outlook directly and privately. Integrated into Ooredoo’s existing portfolio, services such as IP Transit, Multi-Cloud Connect, Google VPP, Hosting, Co-Location, Business Internet, Precision Timing, and International Connectivity are also available at Doha IX.
