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No evidence in the available sources shows Netflix and Google jointly organizing a plan to leave Equinix. The more accurate story is that Open-IX sought to make internet exchange and data-center options more distributed and easier to evaluate, while Netflix and Google pursued separate approaches to interconnection. Understanding the distinction requires separating an internet exchange point from transit, private connections and content delivery.
What is Open-IX?
Open-IX is an industry association that develops standards and certification programs for internet exchange points (IXPs) and data centers. Its current site lists three certification families: OIX-1 for IXPs, OIX-2 for data centers and OIX-3 for edge data centers. The association says certification indicates compliance with the relevant standard and process; it is not a blanket endorsement of a company’s entire service portfolio. See Open-IX standards and certifications.
The initiative addressed a practical market problem: networks and content providers needed ways to exchange traffic, but access to interconnection depended partly on where networks and facilities were located and what arrangements operators offered. Shared criteria could make offerings easier to compare, while independent exchanges hosted at different facilities could broaden the available choices. Certification alone, however, does not establish that an exchange is cheaper, neutral in every practical respect or the best fit for every network.
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What is an internet exchange point?
An IXP is shared physical infrastructure that lets separate networks—often called autonomous systems—exchange traffic. The Open-IX IXP technical standard, version 1.1 dated February 3, 2015, describes an exchange as infrastructure operated by one entity to facilitate traffic exchange among more than two autonomous systems, with a clear, open policy for others to join. It specifies a public exchange VLAN and any-to-any interconnection, as well as a private VLAN service and minimum Ethernet rates including 1GE and 10GE. That is a dated version of the standard, not proof that every present-day certification uses the same requirements. Open-IX IXP Technical Standards, version 1.1.
Peering at an exchange is not the same as buying transit. Peering allows two networks to exchange traffic between themselves under their policies and agreements; transit is a commercial service that provides reachability to destinations beyond a particular peer. An IXP can make it easier to reach multiple networks over shared infrastructure, but peering with some networks does not provide access to the whole internet.
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Why did Open-IX challenge the Equinix-centered model?
A 2014 historical analysis described Equinix as a prominent provider of data-center interconnection and an operator of a commercial IXP. It noted how a facility with many participating networks can become more attractive to others: the more networks present, the more useful the location may be for interconnection. Cross-connect services and network effects can reinforce that advantage. These are the paper’s historical analysis, not a current measurement of market share or a claim that customers were literally trapped. “Quo vadis Open-IX?”
Open-IX’s alternative was not to eliminate physical interconnection. It aimed to encourage more distributed exchanges and common expectations for exchanges and facilities, so networks could assess options beyond a single venue or operator. Independent IXPs can still rely on colocation facilities, physical connections and a critical mass of participants; standards do not remove those practical dependencies.
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The same 2014 article reported that LINX-NoVA went live in early January 2014 and became the first OIX-1-certified IXP later that month. Its November 2014 snapshot counted about 190 Open-IX members, two OIX-1-certified exchanges and 21 OIX-2-certified data centers across nine states and 15 major cities. Those are historical figures from that article, not current totals.
How does Netflix Open Connect work with ISPs?
Netflix announced Open Connect in 2012 as a dedicated content delivery network (CDN), not as a joint Netflix-Google project to leave Equinix. Netflix said ISPs could receive Netflix data at locations they chose or at common internet exchanges. The launch announcement also described Netflix offering hardware and design information to help ISPs serve content closer to their users. At launch, Netflix said about 5% of its data was already being served by Open Connect; that figure applies to the 2012 announcement period, not current traffic. Netflix’s June 4, 2012 Open Connect announcement.
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Netflix’s current Open Connect overview describes embedded appliances and settlement-free interconnection as components of the program. An embedded cache places Netflix content inside or near an ISP’s network; an exchange connection instead lets the ISP exchange traffic with Netflix at a shared interconnection point. The choice depends on eligibility, traffic patterns, network topology and operational arrangements. Neither option establishes anything about Google’s peering relationship.
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How do networks peer with Google?
Google treats public internet exchange peering and private network interconnect (PNI) as distinct options. Its current guide says a network must apply and receive approval; simply being present at an exchange does not guarantee a peering session. Google says it will provide an application status update within five business days. The guide lists technical requirements including a publicly routable /24 IPv4 prefix and/or /48 IPv6 prefix, a 24/7 network operations center contact and current Internet Routing Registry objects. Requirements and procedures may change, so consult Google’s current peering turn-up guide.
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The guide also distinguishes the turn-up sequences for exchange sessions and PNIs. A PNI is a dedicated connection between two parties that requires a suitable location, physical cross-connect provisioning and agreed capacity. Google’s process illustrates why an exchange fabric is an option for interconnection, not an automatic entitlement to exchange traffic with every network present there.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How do public peering, a PNI, transit and a CDN differ?
| Option | What it connects or delivers | What it does not guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| Public IX peering | Networks exchange traffic over a shared exchange fabric; multiple peers may be reachable through it, subject to each network’s policy and technical acceptance. | Peering with one or more networks does not provide general reachability to the rest of the internet. |
| Private network interconnect (PNI) | A dedicated connection between two parties, with a provisioned cross-connect and agreed location and capacity. | It does not, by itself, provide reachability beyond the two connected parties. |
| Transit | A commercial service provides reachability beyond a particular peering partner. | It is not the same arrangement as peering at an exchange. |
| Embedded CDN appliance or cache | For Netflix, content can be placed closer to ISP users; Open Connect also includes interconnection options. | A cache is not a general-purpose internet exchange or a replacement for all other connectivity. |
For an ISP, compare options by the destinations covered, eligibility and acceptance by the other network, facility diversity, port and cross-connect costs, capacity, redundancy, routing control and operational work. There is no universal cost winner: the result depends on traffic, topology, commercial terms and the alternatives available to that operator.
What does Equinix offer today?
Equinix’s documentation describes a shared switching fabric for public exchange peering, with remote and metro configurations where available. Its Internet Exchange documentation reports more than 35 peering exchange points and traffic peaks above 10 Tbps; these are Equinix-reported, volatile figures accessed September 30, 2026, not independent measurements. Its operating policy describes speeds from 1 to 100 Gbps, route-server-based multilateral peering and supported policies. Equinix Internet Exchange documentation and Equinix operating policies.
Equinix facilities also support private cross-connects. An exchange fabric and a private cross-connect are different ways to interconnect, and both depend on physical infrastructure. The presence of Equinix’s exchange service does not negate Open-IX’s goal of making other exchange and facility options more legible; nor does Open-IX certification prove that an alternative will have the same participants, reach, price or resilience.
Was there a Netflix-and-Google plan to escape Equinix?
The sources support no such joint plan. Netflix’s 2012 announcement concerns its own CDN, Open Connect. Google’s documentation describes Google’s own application and turn-up requirements for peering. Open-IX’s documented role was to develop community standards and certifications for exchanges and data centers. The most accurate framing is that these are related parts of a broader interconnection landscape—not evidence of a coordinated Netflix-Google campaign against Equinix.
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