Lancom Enables Crete’s First Internet Exchange Using NetIX’s IxaaS as Part of NetIX GR Expansion
Lancom and NetIX have worked together since 2023; in May of that year, they launched a partnership to expand and strengthen service availability across Greece with Lancom entering into a strategic partnership with NetIX to expand the NetIX GR platform cross Greece. NetIX GR combines exchanges in Athens and Thessaloniki, and since then, the partnership has strengthened and grown, and continues to develop.
The Challenge:
Lancom identified a strategic opportunity to bring advanced interconnection services to the island of Crete. Traditionally, networks in the region have been dependent on upstream transit routes and lacked a local neutral exchange point, which has resulted in less efficient routing, higher latency, and increased costs for local and regional traffic.
Recognising the growing importance of Crete as a connectivity hub as It’s located at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the wider Mediterranean - and with emerging submarine cable systems landing in the region - Lancom sought to partner with an established Internet Exchange expert to extend the NetXI GR platform to the island of Crete. The goal was two-fold: firstly, enable local ISPs, CDNs, content providers and enterprises to peer locally, and secondly, integrate a broader exchange fabric across Greece and the Balkans for global reach.
“Our vision has always been to decentralise interconnection in Greece and empower regional ecosystems. Bringing the first Internet Exchange to Chania is a historic milestone for Crete’s digital economy. Together with NetIX, we are ensuring Crete will no longer serve just as a transit point for submarine cables but instead will become an active interconnection hub.” said Lancom's CEO, George Nolis.
The Solution:
NetIX was selected to support Lancom under a partnership model for the expansion of the NetIX GR platform in Greece, via NetIX’s IX-as-a-Service (IXaaS) offering, which provides the technology, management and global connectivity expertise required to extend the NetIX GR platform through Lancom’s infrastructure in Crete.
Deploying and extending an Internet Exchange can be daunting, so NetIX has simplified the entire IX building task; having identified 60 separate elements that make an Internet Exchange, exact elements can be cherrypicked depending upon what is required. Whether it’s a few elements to enhance plans, or to improve an existing IX, or even the full 60 to create an entire IX – NetIX’s IxaaS solution is here to support.
With NetIX’s global platform and operational experience, Lancom undertook the rollout of NetIX GR in Chania, Crete. NetIX delivered the underlying exchange fabric, operational procedures, monitoring and peering ecosystem support, while Lancom provided the local data centre facilities, fibre access, and market reach into the Cretan and wider Eastern Mediterranean market.
This approach allowed Lancom to extend the existing NetIX GR model (already live in Athens and Thessaloniki) and localise it in Crete, enabling a local point of presence for peering services on the island.
As a result, Lancom now enables its customers, and other network operators in Crete and adjacent regions, to exchange traffic locally and, via the NetIX GR platform, access the global peering network, benefiting from reduced latency, lower transit costs and improved resilience.
The Result:
Local Peering Fabric: Crete’s first IX means traffic between operators on the island can now remain local rather than be diverted via the mainland, improving performance and reducing cost.
Regional Gateway: With Crete’s strategic position and the presence of the NetIX GR exchange in place, the island becomes an entry point for submarine cables and intercontinental routes, supporting connectivity between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Global Reach via NetIX: Through the NetIX platform, Lancom’s customers gain access to hundreds of networks, and many exchange points, and a proven global peering ecosystem.
Speed & Efficiency Improvements: Operators utilising the new IX experience lower latency, better routing, fewer hops and improved performance for end-users accessing local and international services.
Cost Optimisation: By exchanging traffic locally, transit costs are reduced and network efficiency increases, enhancing the operational economics for ISPs and CDNs in the region.
Operational Simplicity: With NetIX’s IXaaS model, Lancom avoided building the exchange systems from scratch, enabling a faster and safer rollout.
"NetIX is proud to provide the IXaaS platform powering Lancom’s exciting plans in Chania. This will put Crete firmly on Europe’s digital map, ensuring the entire region benefits from faster, cheaper and more resilient connectivity. We’re thrilled to be supporting Lancom in their plans with this exciting endevour.” added Dean Belev, VP of Connectivity Services, NetIX.
