Hong Kong Internet eXchange (HKIX), the networking platform connecting all of the city's internet access providers, has made its most critical infrastructure revamp in years to meet a massive surge in data traffic.
To cope with growing intra-Hong Kong and intra-Asia traffic, HKIX has become the first among the world's leading internet exchanges to adopt Cisco Systems' high-performance Nexus 7000 series switch technology, according to exchange administrator Cheng Che-hoo.
He declined to provide the financial terms of the systems upgrade, but noted the revamp was needed to meet increased market demand for 10-gigabit network ports and new services from its members.
The exchange has seen traffic volume grow more than 80 per cent over the past two years. And there was no sign growth would abate, even during the economic downturn, said Cheng, an associate director for infrastructure at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Information and Technology Services Centre.
The exchange is a co-operative project founded in 1995 and located at the CUHK.
HKIX serves more than 100 organisations including those from the academic fields and commercial enterprises, such as fixed-line telecommunications and mobile broadband service providers.
