Glocalization: Regional internet nodes as a strong basis for a European digital ecosystem
A few weeks ago, the BREKO network operators DOKOM21 and GELSEN-NET as well as TMR from Bochum and the internet node operator DE-CIX presented Ruhr-CIX powered by DE-CIX, the first internet node in Germany to be created by the merger of three regional network operators and a global internet node operator. As a regional version of the European cloud initiative GAIA-X, this regional blueprint also contributes to the German government’s project.
BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers explains: “In the future, we can no longer rely solely on processing data traffic via non-European clouds. We need secure and stable solutions in Germany, especially for the economy. This is the goal of GAIA-X at European level. Together with the Internet exchange provider DE-CIX and our network operators in the Ruhr region, we have broken down this future-proof approach to a regional level and presented the first regional Internet exchange in the Ruhr region. Ruhr-CIX’s regional approach is a blueprint for other regions and also contributes to the German government’s GAIA-X project, which aims to create a competitive, secure and trustworthy cloud infrastructure for Europe. GAIA-X has a strong infrastructural aspect. Regional structures such as Ruhr-CIX can perfectly complement the GAIA-X infrastructure. The new trend in Internet connectivity is called glocalization: globally networked, but locally secured.”
All of this only works on the basis of high-performance fiber optic networks. This is why BREKO Managing Director Dr. Stephan Albers is delighted about the cooperation between BREKO and DE-CIX: “With the rapid expansion of fibre optics in Germany, we are creating the infrastructure for the decentralization and regionalization of DE-CIX locations. The Ruhr-CIX project demonstrates the strength and advantage of regional fiber optic structures. Here, the regional fiber optic expansion, sometimes criticized as a patchwork quilt, is crystallizing as the exact opposite, namely as a regional strength. With our more than 210 network operators spread across the whole of Germany and their regional fiber optic expansion, BREKO is the ideal partner for DE-CIX. I am therefore particularly pleased that we have successfully implemented the first blueprint for a regional Internet exchange in the Ruhr region, which was created by the merger of three regional network operators and a global Internet exchange operator. This is a pioneering development for Internet security in Germany. We are now tackling further regional projects.”