IX is an internet exchange that provides an environment for peer-to-peer connections between the networks of Internet service providers (ISPs) and content providers to allow the exchange of traffic between them. It is also sometimes called an IXP (Internet eXchange Point).

Normally, ISPs and content providers that do not have their own connection to the rest of the world purchase service that provides that connectivity, called transit, from a Transit ISP; but this service is expensive.
By peering(1) with each other through an IX, ISPs and content providers can distribute the traffic that goes between them, dividing it among transit services and IXs. This enables both parties to reduce transit costs.
In addition, they are immune to the effects of transit ISP network failures and congestion because they are directly connected to one another through the IX.

（1）Peering
Just having a physical connection to the IX does not mean that traffic will flow between operators using the IX. Two parties that are connected to the IX need to configure their routers so that traffic can flow between them through the IX. This is called peering.

Since JPIX was established in July 1997 as the first commercial IX in Japan, we have provided IX service from a neutral standpoint. As we currently offer IX port service in Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka, in addition to the Tokyo metropolitan area, customers in other regions can peer locally without having to longer to arrange for a circuit from their premises to Tokyo as in the past.

By having IXs in multiple regions, it also becomes possible to use them to secure backup routes in the event of a large-scale disaster. Fiber switches provide complete redundancy for the IX equipment, and the impact of an unlikely equipment failure is kept to a minimum by automatically switching to backup equipment.

Additional services also available for the IX Port Service
By using our Routing Exchange Service, an additional service for our IX Port Service, customers are automatically peered with other customers using the Routing Exchange Service, without having to go through peering negotiations and router configuration. We also offer other additional services, including TrafficViewer, which enables customers to check traffic volume with easy-to-read graphs; and the Customer’s Portal Site, which customers can use to review lists with up-to-date peering contacts, routing check results, and other information.

We are an IX with the largest number of customers, including major ISPs, CATV providers, and contents providers in and outside of Japan, we play a vital role as the core of Japan’s Internet.