Internet Exchange provider DE-CIX has announced a further expansion in Southeast Asia with the opening of a new Internet Exchange (IX) in Singapore by the second half of 2020.

This news comes on the heels of the German company’s entry into Malaysia through a joint venture (JV) with Malaysia’s Starwing Technologies announced late last year.

Second step into Southeast Asia

The earlier move saw a new JV entity take over the Johor Bahru Internet Exchange (JBIX) and operate another IX in Kuala Lumpur. It is understood that a shared interconnection fabric will allow participants to link both IXs in Malaysia.

Unlike DE-CIX Malaysia, though, DE-CIX Singapore will be operated entirely by DE-CIX. The new IX will create an interconnection ecosystem in one of the densest metro markets in the region and pave the way for further expansion in the region, according to Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX International.

“DE-CIX Singapore, as the heart of the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] region, is just the next logical step we are taking in our international expansion. Whilst Singapore has been a major content hub for the region over the last decade, the key content and cloud-computing players have started to extend their footprint throughout ASEAN,” said Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX International, who promised “more to come” in the next two years.

“There are millions of users around the ASEAN markets who both local and international operators want to have access to. The demand for low latency and the huge traffic volumes driven by video, payment, gaming, and other applications – like on-demand and live streaming of sports – is huge,” said Ivanov.

DE-CIX’s expansion into Singapore comes during a moratorium on new data centers in Singapore due to concerns over the carbon footprint, land availability, and power networks. The moratorium on new facilities will not affect DE-CIX, as the IX will be installed in an existing data center. In the past, international IXs such as one announced in Istanbul in December have often been placed in Equinix facilities.

Data center operators with expansion plans may well be looking at upgrading existing facilities with better connectivity.