WA peering exchange announces traffic rise

WAIA spokesman Charlie Stephens said the increase represents possible savings of up to AU$3.5 million for the organisation's 52 members on their Internet traffic bills.

"This is not only saving the ISPs money, but the WA government and universities as well," he said.

Based on the growth rates, Stephens said they are expecting WAIX to see traffic volumes of 500 megabits per second by the end of the year.

The WAIX, which is run by WAIA, started in 1997 to allow its members to inter-connect using an independent facility. The WAIX facility provides members with access to all networks connected to the exchange. WAIA charges each exchange member a quarterly fixed fee for connection which allows them access to all shared information.

Resources accessible through WAIX include those hosted by almost all WA based ISPs, as well as several national ISPs and carriers. It includes free operating systems, radio stations, online gaming servers, educational resources and popular online Web sites, and content from TV network Channel 10.

"In this new age of broadband, consumers want to access more online content at a lower cost. Peering at facilities such as WAIX enables the Internet industry to offer consumers just that while improving Internet reliability, speed and industry cooperation," Stephens said.