LINX, one of the largest Exchange Points in the world, is growing so rapidly that it is abolishing traffic-based charging in favour of flat-rate fees.

LINX - the London Internet Exchange - connects the networks of more than 200 Content Delivery and Internet Service Providers so that traffic may flow more efficiently between them. The company is one of the largest Exchange Points globally, measured both in terms of the traffic that passes over its network and the Internet routes which are directly accessible from its peering LAN.

LINX members will be able to take advantage of the lower fees from June this year. The new payment model will make billing and budgeting simpler for everyone and comes at a time when many ISPs are seeking to attract new customers through lower prices for broadband services. It offers LINX Members the opportunity to cut costs in an increasingly price-competitive market for end users.

There are over 207 organisations currently connecting to LINX from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, US and South East Asia, denoting a 32% increase in Membership at LINX in just 12 months. Much of this growth can be linked to a strong economy in the UK and an increased usage of Broadband. Since its introduction a little over 3 years ago, prices for the service have dropped by more than a third as competition between providers increases.

Recent advancements to ADSL have delivered ADSL 2 and ADSL 2+ which have increased maximum downstream speeds to 12Mbps and 25Mbps respectively while retaining compatibility with the standard ADSL version. This has made it more desirable to consumers and businesses alike and LINX members are quick to support consumer requirements.

With competition so marked it is important to LINX members that they can streamline their costs as they look to invest in the future of their organisations.

Sales and Marketing Manager Vanessa Evans said "The general consensus of LINX Membership is that they would prefer a simple, flat-rate pricing method which we are now delighted to offer. With the recent upsurge in membership we are able to abolish the traffic charge without any increase to our other fees."

Vanessa added: "As one of the largest IXPs in the world we can deliver incredible economies of scale, and the more membership grows the more our members will benefit."

Notes to editors:

1. LINX (www.linx.net ) is a mutual, not-for-profit organisation whose members include almost all the major UK ISPs and content delivery service providers plus many from the USA, mainland Europe, the Far East and Africa. Every member of LINX has an equal vote in the management of the organisation's affairs.

2. Connection of Internet networks at an IXP such as LINX is known as 'peering'. LINX offers members the option of establishing private one-to-one peering between networks and/or 'public peering' where traffic can potentially be exchanged with any other member linked to the exchange.

3. The Internet traffic at LINX consists of a wide variety of data including website downloads, business information and e-mails. However, one gigabit is roughly equivalent to 60,000 average email messages - so peak traffic at LINX would now accommodate more than 6 million email messages per second.

For more information contact:
Vanessa Evans
The London Internet Exchange
Telephone: +44 (0)1733 207701
Email: pr@linx.net