Introduction
The BalkanIX is a neutral and independent commercial Internet Exchange. Regional Ethernet infrastructure is designed to transfer and exchange of local Internet traffic in Sofia, Bulgaria and in the region. This enables each participant connected with 1GE, 10GE or aggregated ports to exchange IP traffic with any other participant by mutual agreement and understanding or using public route-server (RS). The exchange of routing information is done with BGP sessions between the parties through direct sessions or through a route-server (RS). Each participant can have their own peering policy - private, open or restrictive. BalkanIX promote and propagate open peering policy.
Neutrality
BalkanIX is a neutral partner in terms of fiber, telecom and Internet operators and is not related to any of them. The infrastructure of BalkanIX does not offer services that can be competitive for all participants. BalkanIX team is a neutral party, which offers professional and independent services and maintenance of infrastructure to exchange the traffic, and equal rights and technical requirements for all participants.
Effect
Using one or more 1GE, 10GE port to the infrastructure of BalkanIX, provides cheaper solution for IP traffic exchange, more efficient loading of network resources and easy scalability as compared to an existing multiple gigabit connections between Internet providers. BalkanIX can be used as addition to existing cross-links between providers to increase capacity of the traffic. Using the route-server (RS) to manage the routes enables more flexible and easier routing and quick configuration.
Partners
Through partnership and cooperation with Romanian IX InterLAN (http://www.interlan.ro/), since March 2010 there is 10GE link between the two Internet Exchanges. This enables all members of InterLAN to reach directly all Bulgarian service providers and all participants in BalkanIX can reach more than 50 service providers and telecoms in Romania.
Who can connect
BalkanIX is designed for telecom operators, Internet Service Providers (ISP), content providers and companies that operates in South Eastern Europe. Everyone is welcome to join if have Autonomous System (AS), its own address space and a desire to join and reach the infrastructure of BalkanIX.
Why to connect
The reasons to connect to an Balkan Internet Exchange can vary per connected member, but for us several reasons to connect are:
- A cost effective mean of exchanging traffic - by keeping traffic as close to the origin/destination, in the region. It doesn't have to use costly international transport options;
- Network optimilization - similarly to the above, if the traffic is exchanged close to the source this decrease the number of network hops and delays and enable better end-user experience;
- Management - by reaching multiple other networks with one single connection in the region the need for several interconnects at different locations is diminished.
Services
- public peering - Service that provides access to the participant Ethernet Layer 2 infrastructure of BalkanIX, on one main (primary) or secondary (backup) connection. Available ports can be 1GE, 10GE or aggregated interfaces. Each participant receives an IP address from BalnakIX peering network and ability to peer with both route-servers. Routing is done with direct BGP4 session between two participants or by using a route-server.
- private peering - Is separate virtual LAN (VLAN) from main BalkanIX infrastructure, used by two or more participants through their physical ports. Routing is done base on the BGP session, only between members of this VLAN.
- route-server - Free service helping participants to join public peeing. Each peer can announce to RS all networks and networks of its customers with next-hop IP address owned by the BalkanIX peering network. From RS each participant receives the other routes, without next-hop modification and without autonomic system of BalkanIX in the AS path. Based on community policies each peer of RS can manage incoming and outgoing routing information.