In a significant expansion of its footprint in a growing and increasingly important region, leading internet exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX has formed a joint venture with Thai telecom provider International Gateway Company (IGC) to launch a presence in Bangkok, DE-CIX Thailand.
Founded in 1995, DE-CIX offers interconnection services in 60 locations in EMEA, North and South America, and Asia. Accessible from datacentres in more than 600 cities worldwide, it connects network operators (carriers), internet service providers (ISPs), content providers and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries, and offers peering, cloud and other interconnection services.
The company has been in a strong growth phase over the past two months, with key moves including the expansion of global AI-ready connectivity with a Microsoft Azure route; the introduction of an open source Model Context Protocol server to let customers use AI agents to manage network connections; and the introduction of a neutral internet exchange in southern Austria to turn the state of Carinthia into a digital hub for the Alps-Adriatic region.
Established in 2017, IGC has the stated aim of providing wholesale bandwidth, IP transit and customised IPLC network for both domestic and international traffic. This is done via State Railway of Thailand, Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, and its nationwide network, which has a total of over 12,000km of nationwide optical fibre network.
It also owns Network to Network Interface for 12 active crossing borders to connect with a total of 42 operators in surrounding countries and Thailand, with extended connectivity to more than 10 principal datacentres in the country.
For the joint venture company headquartered in Bangkok – one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital infrastructure markets – DE-CIX will build and operate the regional internet exchange point, extending DE-CIX’s distributed ASEAN interconnection platform and becoming the gateway to Mainland Southeast Asia. This move represents the next chapter of DE-CIX’s Southeast Asian expansion, allowing networks in Bangkok to peer with networks in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and beyond over one regional platform.
The partners noted that the countries that make up Mainland Southeast Asia – Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand – represent approximately 50% of the users in the entire ASEAN region. The establishment will expand DE-CIX’s Southeast Asian platform to its seventh metropolitan market, providing networks in Thailand with seamless access to one of the region’s largest interconnected digital ecosystems.
DE-CIX Bangkok will be available in well-known data centres across the local metropolitan market. IGC will provide connectivity to DE-CIX Bangkok and act as a reseller for customers from across Mainland Southeast Asia. In addition, DE-CIX Bangkok will be incorporated into DE-CIX’s global backbone, giving connected networks access to the entire DE-CIX ecosystem.
“Thailand is the next logical step in our Southeast Asian growth strategy,” said DE-CIX CEO Ivo Ivanov. “The country has all the ingredients to become the gateway to Mainland Southeast Asia and one of the region’s leading digital connectivity hubs, serving millions of people.
“Together with IGC, we are creating an environment where networks in Thailand can interconnect locally while gaining seamless access to one of Southeast Asia’s richest digital ecosystems. Customers will benefit from lower latency, greater resilience, and direct access to cloud, AI, content, and network providers across the DE-CIX platform.”
Supat Eamwiwat, CEO of IGC, said: “The establishment of DE-CIX Bangkok will create new opportunities for customers to exchange traffic not only locally but regionally, while reducing latency, improving network performance, and providing access to one of the most interconnected ecosystems in Southeast Asia. We are excited to partner with DE-CIX to support the next phase of Thailand’s digital growth.”
The Southeast Asian ecosystem is also directly connected to DE-CIX’s global ecosystem, comprising more than 4,600 networks spanning North and South America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
