DE-CIX and IGC to launch Bangkok internet exchange in 2027

DE-CIX will open a new internet exchange in Bangkok in mid-2027, its seventh metro market in Southeast Asia, after forming a joint venture with Thai carrier International Gateway Co (IGC).

The two companies announced the JV, called DE-CIX Thailand, on Wednesday. The venture will build and operate DE-CIX Bangkok, which will be available in data centres across the metro market from mid-2027. DE-CIX positions the exchange as a regional gateway serving Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand — markets that together account for roughly 50% of all end users in ASEAN, according to the German exchange operator.

What does the new exchange change for operators?

For networks operating in Thailand and its neighbours, the practical gain is local interconnection with regional reach. DE-CIX Bangkok will interconnect directly with DE-CIX's other exchanges in ASEAN. Networks peering in Bangkok will reach networks in Singapore, Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Jakarta over one integrated regional platform.

The exchange also joins DE-CIX's global backbone. That gives connected networks access to the operator's full ecosystem of cloud, content and network providers worldwide, not only the Southeast Asian footprint.

IGC brings the physical layer. DE-CIX Bangkok will use IGC's domestic and cross-border terrestrial network to deliver connectivity to the IX for operators from Thailand and neighbouring countries. IGC will additionally act as a reseller for DE-CIX Bangkok customers, bundling access with its transport services.

What are the executives claiming?

Commercial benefits cited by both chief executives cluster around latency, resilience and ecosystem access — standard IX value propositions, but with regional weight behind them.

"Together with IGC, we are creating an environment where networks in Thailand can interconnect locally while gaining seamless access to one of Southeast Asia's richest digital ecosystems," DE-CIX CEO Ivo Ivanov said in a statement. "Customers will benefit from lower latency, greater resilience, and direct access to cloud, AI, content, and network providers across the DE-CIX platform."

IGC CEO Supat Eamwiwat framed the exchange as opening both local and regional traffic exchange opportunities. The establishment of DE-CIX Bangkok "will create new opportunities for customers to exchange traffic not only locally but regionally, while reducing latency, improving network performance, and providing access to one of the most interconnected ecosystems in Southeast Asia," he said.

Ivanov also described the Thai exchange as the next chapter of DE-CIX's Southeast Asian expansion, extending the platform to its seventh metro market in the region.

Why Bangkok, and why now?

The five markets the exchange targets — Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar — sit east of DE-CIX's existing ASEAN nodes in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Thailand's location makes it the natural terrestrial hub for that cluster.

At present, operators in these markets often backhaul traffic through Singapore to reach major clouds and content providers. A local exchange with direct links into the DE-CIX platform shortens those paths, cutting latency for Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian end users and reducing dependency on international transit.

The JV structure also matters. DE-CIX supplies the interconnection platform and brand; IGC supplies terrestrial transport into Thailand and across borders, plus local sales channels through its reseller role. This mirrors the partner-led model DE-CIX has used to enter other emerging markets.

What happens next?

The build now moves to engineering and data-centre onboarding ahead of the mid-2027 service launch, with the JV outfitting sites across the Bangkok metro market and establishing cross-border links to IGC's network for operators in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.