DartPoints’ Bridge IX in Columbia — The First Public Internet Exchange in South Carolina — Now Operational

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Bridge IX Allows Businesses, Schools, Government Institutions, Content Providers and Carriers to Exchange Data Within the State

Greenville, SC — April 27, 2022 — DartPoints, the leading edge digital infrastructure provider, announces today that its internet exchange (IX) in Columbia, S.C., called Bridge IX™, is now operational. South Carolina’s internet traffic has traditionally been routed to the closest major network markets: Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. DartPoints’ South Carolina mission is to keep the state’s traffic local to improve network performance and resiliency and reduce connectivity costs. Bridge IX allows local organizations to interconnect, or “peer,” directly with each other.

Bridge IX Logo

“By providing a vendor neutral and scalable peering infrastructure that creates and encourages partnership opportunities for all participants, we’re strengthening South Carolina’s internet connectivity ecosystem, and by extension, the state’s economy as a whole,” said Brad Alexander, Chief Technology Officer of DartPoints and a South Carolina resident. “Ultimately, Bridge IX offers South Carolina stronger, better performing, and more cost-effective internet connectivity infrastructure.”

Unlike the broader internet — which is more expensive, less predictable, and less secure — local peering in an IX (which is limited to IX participants) provides multiple benefits, including:

  • Reduced connectivity costs by allowing for direct exchange of data
  • Access to an international peering ecosystem with more than 2,100 connect networks, including heavily sought-after connections with popular cloud providers
  • Optimized routing for faster transfer speeds and lower latency
  • Direct, private, and secure connections to popular cloud providers, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google
  • Increased stability and quality with redundant physical infrastructure and circuits
  • More efficient content delivery through mutually beneficial business relationships

For members of the Bridge IX ecosystem, the technology lowers organizations’ connectivity costs, enhances internet experience and opens new doors to partnerships and services. With this investment, DartPoints enables peering with the largest number of cloud service providers, content providers, and carriers across the globe. For content providers and carriers, Bridge IX enables better service delivery via private and secure connections, optimized routing and redundant topology.

DartPoints (formerly Immedion) has been providing technology solutions in South Carolina for over a decade, from its four active data centers in the state, located in Columbia, Greenville, North Charleston and Spartanburg. DartPoints offers unmatched support, attention to detail via an onboarding checklist and technical expertise backed by tenured and continuously upskilled technicians. Learn more about Bridge IX, and to speak with the DartPoints team in Columbia, call +1 (803) 726-9250.