UK – 25 April 2023: Proximity Data Centres, the UK’s fastest growing edge colocation data centre provider, today announced IX Birmingham, the first regional internet exchange in the heart of the West Midlands.
Securely located at Proximity’s Birmingham Edge 8 tier 3 data centre, IX Birmingham will allow businesses across the city and local region to have access to higher-speed, lower latency connectivity options by eliminating the need to route all their data via exchanges in London and Manchester – local data stays local while other data can be accessed through traditional centralised internet exchanges.
Raj Mack, Head of Digital City and Innovation said,
“I have long pushed for the establishment of an Internet Exchange in Birmingham, recognising that it is a key component of the digital infrastructure that our businesses need to create and accelerate new products and services. The IX Birmingham will greatly enhance the capability of the City as a leading international digital city and its reputation as Digital Birmingham.”
Peter Bishop, Director for Digital and Customer Services at Birmingham City Council added:
“The Council welcomes this exciting initiative which is line with our vision for creating new innovative opportunities that maximise the use of digital technologies and the skills and capabilities of our citizens and local businesses. Working closely with Proximity’s Edge IX division we aim to ensure digital businesses including those in the creative, healthcare and manufacturing industries are no longer disadvantaged by the absence of an internet exchange on their doorstep.”
Tobias Hooten, Managing Director of Iconic Networks, a founding member of IX Birmingham said,
“The arrival of IX Birmingham is not only good news for businesses based in the city and wider region, it also allows local altnets and ISPs to benefit from lower cost data transit when backhauling rapidly growing data volumes. We are delighted to be a founder member and look forward to being a part of stimulating the local digital economy.”
Sean Lowry, CTO, Glide Networks said,
“Glide’s lowest latency partnership at Proximity’s Edge IX demonstrates our commitment to innovation across Birmingham and our wider UK fibre city rollout.”
Commented John Hall, Managing Director-Colocation, Proximity Data Centres,
“We selected Birmingham as our first Edge IX location as the region’s digital community has remained underserved when it comes to the lowest latency solutions possible for sending or receiving data. We are looking forward to delivering similar benefits to other regions of the UK and Europe during this year and in 2024.”
IX Birmingham is aligned with Proximity’s strategy of rolling out a network of regional internet exchanges within its data centres across the UK and Europe. Currently there are 10 Proximity edge data centres in the UK, strategically located to conurbations and cities in the North, North West, Midlands, Thames Valley, South West and South Wales.
About Proximity Data Centres
Proximity Data Centres operates a rapidly growing trusted network of regional carrier-neutral edge data centres across the UK. These allow clients to locate their data in local markets, close to the data end user. By choosing Proximity’s network of edge data centres enterprise, public cloud and content service provider organisations maximise competitive edge through reduced latency, enabling improved response times and reduced transit costs.
The company is fully committed to providing energy efficient and sustainable facilities which are built to tier 3 industry standards and are ISO 9001, 14001 and 27001 compliant. Full on-site support, transition and onboarding is provided to customers. For maximum convenience, a straightforward customer contracting model is provided with a single set of SLAs covering one or multiple sites, as required. Scope of services is tailored to suit regional demand.
About Digital Birmingham
Digital Birmingham is the city’s brand that showcases the city’s digital credentials and reputation as a leading digital city (www.digitalbirmingham.co.uk). It is supported by the Birmingham Digital Partnership, a combination of private and public organisations, who champion Birmingham’s ambition as a leading digital city and promote Digital Birmingham nationally and internationally, attracting investment and support from business and government, to accelerate sustainable economic growth and address some of the city’s grand challenges through digital, technology and data enablement.
Further Information:
Proximity Data Centres
T: +44 (0)3300 250 138
Press Enquiries:
Nigel Parker
Fulfil Communications
T: +44 (0)7778 872457
