23 January 2003 -- The Band-X bandwidth exchange says that its Telecoms Trading Exchange (TTE) IP transit trading platform in Scotland has gone live ahead of schedule and secured its first customer. The launch increases supplier choice and lowers wholesale prices available in the region, it says. The Band-X exchange gives objective quality information to select the best provider, and the ability to change provider seamlessly.
The exchange's first customer is Glasgow-based hosting specialist EQSN, which focuses exclusively on the provision of co-hosting, co-location and the management of services. It will buy IP transit from the TTE to provide its customers with additional resilient, high-quality connectivity to the Internet. "The benefits of buying from an exchange infrastructure mean we can continually adapt to provide the best service to our customers," said EQSN chief executive Alan Lorimer. "Through a local connection, EQSN has become part of the largest market for IP transit," said Band-X chairman Richard Elliott.
The TTE forms part of Scottish Enterprise's drive to increase broadband links to businesses across Scotland. Scottish ISPs can now compare information and wholesale prices via a dedicated website and purchase IP transit in Scotland from international networks at London prices. London is one of the most competitive IP markets in the world with transit prices on the Band-X exchange below £100 per Megabit.
"The TTE is a solution to a very particular problem suffered by a certain sector of the telecoms industry. It is another piece in the jigsaw to creating a world-class broadband infrastructure in Scotland," said Charlie Watt, Scottish Enterprise's senior director of E-business. "It will substantially increase the choice of telecoms suppliers available to Scottish Internet Service Providers, with all the advantages this will have for all broadband customers."
The introduction of the Band-X IP transit platform to the Scottish market gives local access to a dozen leading IP backbone providers including: Colt, France Telecom, Level 3, Reach, Sprint and Telia via a connection to Band-X infrastructure in Edinburgh's ScoLocate.
Band-X's IP transit exchanges, also located in London and New York, allow IP buyers to choose their supplier using independently measured quality information and to take advantage of competitive, wholesale prices. Commercial and technical flexibility enables customers to change IP backbones quickly and seamlessly without incurring any additional costs. This flexibility gives buyers of IP transit improved network reliability and performance, cheaper transit and lower costs.
Founded in 1997, Band-X is the world's first independent trading exchange for telecoms capacity. Its business is established around core exchanges for the buying and selling of IP transit, voice minutes, network infrastructure and colocation space.