Maurizio Goretti co-authored this post.
On 15 January 2025, Namex achieved a major milestone by surpassing one terabit of Internet network traffic, signalling the start of a new chapter in its growth journey. This achievement coincided with the broadcast of the Inter vs Bologna football match by DAZN, highlighting the growing importance of live streaming for Italy and its impact on Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). Founded in 1995, Namex has evolved from a simple local exchange point to one of the most important IXP hubs in the Mediterranean. But how did we get here? What records marked the way? In this article, we’ll explore Namex’s history, its successes, and the significance of reaching the first terabit.
In 1995, the Rome IXP was established to promote local Internet traffic exchange, creating a model to reduce dependency on international providers. Initially, it was a point of reference for connecting Italian operators, but its growth soon attracted international attention.
The first significant milestone came in 2004, when Namex achieved 1Gbps, marking a significant step forward for interconnection in Italy and a starting point for future expansion. This event positioned Namex as a key player in the IXP scene, laying the foundation for exponential traffic growth.
Over the years, the introduction of new technologies and the expansion of web giants like Google pushed Namex to evolve to support increasing traffic volumes. Interconnection became more crucial for global communications, and Namex established itself as one of Europe’s important IXPs. In 2009, traffic grew to 10Gbps, marking a fundamental leap that reflected the increasing demand for connectivity.
By 2016, Namex had reached 72Gbps, with Facebook emerging as one of the main users of the exchange point. The following year, in 2017, traffic surged to 80Gbps, with Netflix joining as another major player in the network. By 2018, Namex reached 92Gbps, with Netflix, Facebook, and Google now firmly among the leading providers. In 2019, Namex continued its growth trajectory, reaching 105Gbps and supporting major global companies like Netflix, Facebook, Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft.
The year 2020 was marked by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which had a profound impact on digital connectivity worldwide. With millions of people transitioning to remote work, online education, and digital entertainment, the demand for high-performance Internet infrastructure skyrocketed. This sudden shift underscored the critical role of IXPs like Namex in ensuring seamless and efficient digital communication.
During the pandemic, traffic at Namex surged dramatically as streaming platforms, video conferencing tools, and cloud services became essential for everyday life. By the end of 2020, Namex recorded a peak of 150Gbps, reflecting this unprecedented growth in Internet usage. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital tools and highlighted the need for resilient and scalable network infrastructure.
This period not only tested the capabilities of existing systems but also drove innovation and investment in network expansions, laying the groundwork for the growth that would follow in the subsequent years. Namex emerged from the pandemic stronger, ready to meet the evolving demands of a world increasingly reliant on digital connectivity.
2021 marked a pivotal year in Namex’s history, driven by the explosive growth in live and streaming content consumption. A key event in this period was DAZN’s acquisition of exclusive rights to 7 Serie A matches starting from that season. This led to a significant increase in network traffic as millions of viewers connected to watch live soccer matches, boosting the demand for stable, high-performance connectivity.
In addition to Serie A, Prime Video also secured exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League for Wednesday matches in 2021, bringing another wave of high-quality traffic. The traffic peak recorded at Namex was the result of an unprecedented adoption of streaming platforms, putting pressure on network infrastructure while further solidifying Namex’s role as a crucial interconnection hub. The following year, 2022, saw continued growth with 434Gbps of traffic, driven by global players like Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Cloudflare, which further consolidated Namex’s role as a key exchange point. In 2023, traffic hit 530Gbps, with new players like TikTok and Disney+ further strengthening the connectivity landscape.
The growth and number of peaks recorded in 2024 were exceptional, marking a huge year for Namex. Traffic records followed one after another with impressive speed, reflecting the massive surge in connectivity demand, primarily driven by live sports events streamed online.
On 2 February 2024, the Inter vs Juventus match in Serie A streamed by DAZN set a peak of 621Gbps. Shortly after, on 21 February 2024, Prime Video’s coverage of the Napoli vs Barcelona UEFA match reached 640Gbps. Traffic continued to rise with the Atletico Madrid vs Inter match on 13 March 2024, reaching 697Gbps, while the 17 April 2024 match between Manchester City vs Real Madrid hit 702Gbps.
In 2024, Namex launched its Observatory, a comprehensive initiative aimed at monitoring Internet traffic trends and patterns across Italy. Among its many focus areas, the Observatory closely analysed the impact of major global events, including the Paris 2024 Olympics, on national Internet traffic.
During the Olympics, platforms like RaiPlay, which streamed over 360 hours of live coverage, played a pivotal role in driving significant spikes in data traffic. Events such as the women’s volleyball final drew nearly 7M viewers, with an audience share of 50%. These trends underscored the growing importance of robust interconnection infrastructure and highlighted how platforms like Namex support the increasing demands of live streaming and digital content consumption.
The trend of breaking records continued throughout the year. On 18 September 2024, the Manchester City vs Inter UEFA match reached 784Gbps, demonstrating the explosive growth of traffic. Remarkably, Namex also achieved a peak of 819Gbps on a regular day with no events, showing that the demand for connectivity wasn’t only driven by live sports, but also by the steady rise in overall digital traffic.
Later in the year, on 27 November 2024, the Aston Villa vs Juventus UEFA match reached 911Gbps, and on 11 December 2024, the Juventus vs Manchester City UEFA game set a new peak of 972Gbps.
The first terabit of traffic was reached on 15 January 2025, a result that marks a milestone in Namex’s history and the global connectivity landscape. This achievement reflects the evolution of digital needs, particularly in the era of high-quality streaming and cloud services, which have driven the demand for broadband.
Reaching the first terabit of traffic is an event that goes beyond the purely technological. It reflects the evolution of Namex as a global exchange point and the increasingly central role IXPs play in ensuring the efficiency of networks. Traffic from platforms like Netflix, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, TikTok, Disney+, DAZN, and Prime Video highlights the widespread adoption of digital content and cloud services, which require increasingly robust infrastructure to ensure optimal performance. The terabit milestone is not only a testament to Namex’s technical growth but also a response to the growing demand for global connectivity in an ever-more interconnected world. Continuous infrastructure improvements will help us meet future challenges and support the long-term evolution of the Internet.
Flavio Luciani is Chief Technology Officer at Namex (Roma IXP) and co-author of the book ‘BGP: from theory to practice‘.
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