DE-CIX’s Dubai internet exchange touted a milestone this week after it reached a peak traffic rate of 1 Tb/s.

UAE-IX, which DE-CIX claims is the largest in the region, reached the milestone solely via customer traffic.

The IX was launched alongside du subsidiary Datamena back in 2012 as DE-CIX sought to bring its services to regions that, at the time, were lacking interconnectivity.

In recent years, demand for digital services in the region has exploded, with fixed broadband, cloud services, and digital transformation-related traffic on the rise.

TeleGeography data suggests the Middle East region’s internet bandwidth has already witnessed a 27% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2025, a number that’s only set to rise. On the mobile front, GSMA figures project that data traffic per connection will triple between 2023 and 2030.

DE-CIX is preparing UAE-IX for the anticipated growth, with the Dubai offering boasting more than 110 connected networks with some six terabits of aggregated capacity.

“This recent achievement underscores the critical role of UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX in the Middle Eastern digital ecosystem, by integrating network operators, content and application providers, and cloud services to deliver resilient and low-latency connectivity across the GCC region,” DE-CIX CEO Ivo Ivanov explained. “We anticipate further advancements as we collaboratively forge the infrastructure for the future.”

DE-CIX connects to approximately 4,000 networks across more than 60 IX locations globally. In addition to its site in Dubai, it operates IXs in Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey.

The German-based firm's latest addition to its network saw its São Paulo internet exchange come online in mid-August.

Beyond the Middle East and Latin America, DE-CIX has set its sights on a region altogether out of this world. The operator recently provided a glimpse into its Space-IX project, which would see its interconnect capabilities brought into low-Earth orbit (LEO) via satellite constellations and other space-based assets.