Equinix, Neutral Tandem Team on Carrier Ethernet

connectivity

Colocation provider Equinix continues to enhance its offerings for carrier Ethernet services, an important new market for interconnections and value-added services. Today Equinix (EQIX) announced a partnership with Neutral Tandem (TNDM), another emerging player in the carrier Ethernet ecosystem, that will make it easier for Equinix customers to expand into additional markets.

Customers using the Equinix Carrier Ethernet Exchange (ECEE) can now access Neutral Tandem’s EtherCloud Layer-2 connectivity network, which offers regional operators and multi-national carriers a channel for expansion into over 70 countries, including tier-two and tier-three markets. Using EtherCloud service will allow Equinix customers to save time by using a single source for managing multi-carrier local loop arrangements and other business services in these emerging markets.

Carrier Ethernet is an enhanced standard created to extend data-centric Ethernet networks to exchange data with telecom networks initially designed to carry voice traffic. As such, it’s an important enabler of the convergence between global communications networks – including dedicated connections to support private clouds and interoperability between cloud platforms.

Carrier Ethernet exchanges like the ECEE – which effectively translate between different carrier Ethernet offerings – are seen as an important next phase, making it far easier for networks to connect across geographies.

The planned combination of ECEE and Neutral Tandem’s EtherCloud platform should be especially useful to customers in the network, cloud and financial services markets, enabling them to capitalize on higher-margin Layer 2 and Layer 3 services as they expand into new markets.

"Unlike other offerings, the Equinix Carrier Ethernet Exchange is focused on expanding the buy-sell dynamic between networks and non-network communities, namely the cloud and financial ecosystems," said Jim Poole, general manager, global networks & mobility for Equinix. "Together with Neutral Tandem, we’re helping solve a very critical problem: how to drive more services into more markets. We’re giving participants in our Ethernet Exchange a single point of contact in Neutral Tandem to manage the delivery of Ethernet and VPLS services on a global scale."

Neutral Tandem said it selected Equinix to propagate its EtherCloud offering due to the reach of Equinix’s interconnection business across multiple business ecosystems, including financial services and cloud.

"Neutral Tandem’s proven track record with interconnecting carriers, combined with Equinix’s strategic data center locations, will form an attractive combination,” said Surendra Saboo, Neutral Tandem president and COO. "With this planned collaboration, Equinix customers will be able to leverage Neutral Tandem’s expansive network, while our customers will have access to the hundreds of customers in Equinix’s strategic IBX locations."

Last year Neutral Tandem announced a similar agreement with Telx, another colo and interconnection provider targeting the Ethernet exchange market.

Cabling image by Sugree via Flickr.