FIRST RUSSIAN ISP IN LINX

September 10, 2004 – London Internet Exchange (linx) – Europe’s largest handler of Internet traffic – has recruited its first Russian telecoms and Internet services provider.

RETN, which has offices in St Petersburg and additional facilities in Moscow, joins around 145 existing LINX members that exchange Internet traffic at eight high capacity switching facilities in London’s Docklands. They include ISPs and content delivery service providers (CDSPs) from the UK, mainland Europe, the USA and the Far East.

RETN is also offering other Russian ISPs the opportunity to use its network to obtain a secure ‘virtual’ presence at the LINX exchange under an innovative ‘LINX from Anywhere’ service.

LINX sales and marketing manager Vanessa Evans said: “RETN has been expanding its network and building traffic volumes rapidly over recent months. Membership of LINX is a logical strategic development that gives the company a massive expansion in its global connections and the ability to exchange traffic much more efficiently.”

Olga Sherstneva from RETN added: “Joining LINX is a further stage in ReTN’s strategy to be an active and innovative company that provides high quality services at competitive prices across the full range of voice, data, Internet and other telecommunication services.”

Earlier this year (January 2004) ReTN opened a second discrete route between Moscow and London, providing total carrying capacity of 1,244 megabytes per second (Mbs) and providing onward connections to New York.

LINX membership now gives RETN access to more than 50 per cent of world Internet routes.

LINX, a mutual not-for-profit organisation, maintains high capacity Internet switches where commercial competitors can exchange Internet data, known as ‘peering’, thus reducing costs and transmission times. LINX is Europe’s largest Internet exchange with peak volumes now approaching 40 gigabits per second. It handles around 90 per cent of all UK Internet traffic.

LINX from Anywhere, launched in November 2003, allows smaller ISPs to have a secure ‘virtual’ presence on the LINX exchange without investing in the hardware and manpower costs of maintaining their own Internet switch in London. The service is available via the networks of existing LINX members in 40 northern hemisphere countries. For more information visit www.linx.net/joining/linx-anywhere.