IX.br at 40 Tbps: A Milestone for Brazil, and a Moment for Reflection on Internet Governance

Publicado originalmente em: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-worlds-largest-internet-exchange-threat-brazil-moreiras-yhyef

IX.br reaches 40 Tbps, as legislative and regulatory developments prompt reflection on the governance model that enabled its success












A Historic Milestone: IX.br and Brazil at the Top of Global Internet Infrastructure






In April 2025, Brazil reached a remarkable milestone in the landscape of Internet infrastructure: IX.br, the national Internet Exchange Point (IXP) initiative, recorded a peak aggregate traffic of 40 terabits per second (Tbps). This figure alone is impressive. However, the most striking fact is that IX.br São Paulo, on its own, surpassed 25 Tbps of peak traffic.







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Daily aggregate traffic of IX.br -22/04/2025





IX.br is not a single exchange point, but rather a distributed system currently comprising 38 IXPs located in various cities across Brazil. This structure directly serves 4,255 Autonomous Systems (ASNs), forming the largest interconnection ecosystem in Latin America and, in terms of participant networks, in the world. The network’s physical reach is made possible by 183 PIX (Interconnection Points to the IXP) installed in partner data centers, and further extended by over 1,000 CIX (Channels to IX), access mechanisms operated by third parties that allow indirect connections through shared infrastructure.






To contextualize this achievement, it is useful to compare it with the world’s leading IXPs:






  • DE-CIX (Global): In April 2025, the group of IXPs operated by DE-CIX, present in over 50 locations worldwide, reached 25 Tbps of combined peak traffic.
  • AMS-IX (Amsterdam): The Amsterdam Internet Exchange recently reported a peak traffic of approximately 14 Tbps.
  • LINX (London): The London Internet Exchange shows peak traffic around 10 Tbps, based on real-time public statistics.
  • CABASE (Argentina): The Argentine IXP network reaches a combined peak of approximately 4 Tbps.
  • PIT Chile (Chile): Chile’s main IXP reports peak traffic around 15 Tbps.






These numbers clearly position IX.br São Paulo as the largest Internet Exchange Point in the world in terms of individual traffic volume. Furthermore, the IX.br project as a whole stands as the largest IXP system under a single management structure [*], the result of a technical and institutional model that is decentralized, neutral, multisectoral, and widely accessible, topics that will be explored in the sections that follow.







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What Is IX.br and Why Does It Work






IX.br — short for Brazil Internet Exchange — is an initiative of NIC.br (the Brazilian Network Information Center), the executive arm of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). It was created to foster direct interconnection between autonomous networks (ASNs), allowing data to flow locally in a more efficient, cost-effective manner, with reduced latency. In practice, IX.br enables content providers, ISPs, enterprises, public institutions, and academia to exchange traffic directly, without depending on international transit or intermediaries.






Its infrastructure is, by design, decentralized. The PIX (Pontos de Interligação ao IX, or Interconnection Points to the IX) are hosted in partner data centers and house the physical network switches and routers that facilitate participant connectivity. NIC.br manages the technical operation, including hardware deployment, configuration, support, and continuous maintenance. Each IXP can have multiple interconnected PIX within a city or metropolitan region, forming a mesh that allows participants to connect through any PIX and reach all others seamlessly. In São Paulo, for instance, more than 30 PIX are connected via optical fiber, forming a single logical interconnection fabric.













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IX.br São Paulo distributed infrastructure (PIX – map)






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IX.br São Paulo distributed infrastructure (PIX – logical diagram)





Complementing this model are over 1,000 CIX (Channels to IX), access channels operated by third parties such as regional ISPs or local data centers. These allow participants to connect to the IX.br infrastructure indirectly through shared ports, thus democratizing access and enabling even small ISPs to benefit from direct traffic exchange. In commercial IXPs, this model is typically referred to as a “port reseller” arrangement.






The financial model behind IX.br also plays a crucial role. Its operations are largely funded by revenue from the .br domain name registrations, which allows participation to remain free of charge in nearly all locations, except in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Fortaleza, where a modest port usage fee has been applied since 2017. This cost structure is one of the key reasons why IX.br has attracted over 4,000 Autonomous Systems, more than any other IXP worldwide.






Neutrality is another foundational principle. IX.br is non-profit, not controlled by telecom operators, and does not sell IP transit. It simply offers a technical environment where networks can interconnect freely. Peering policies and decisions remain entirely in the hands of each participant. This guarantees neutrality, fairness, and trust among all parties involved.






This model, developed over more than two decades, did not emerge by accident. It is the direct outcome of a governance structure that balances public and private interests, technical expertise and social participation. And it is this very governance that we will explore in the next section.







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How Internet Governance Works in Brazil






Internet governance in Brazil is widely regarded as a successful example of the multistakeholder model. This institutional arrangement has been built over the past three decades on the understanding that the Internet is too critical, and too diverse, to be governed by a single sector, whether it be the state, the private sector, or academia. At the heart of this model is the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), established in 1995 through Interministerial Ordinance No. 147, issued by the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Science and Technology.






The CGI.br is composed of 21 board members, with balanced representation between government and civil society. Of these, 12 seats are held by non-governmental sectors, including business, academia, the technical community, and civil society, while 9 are filled by government representatives from various public agencies. Decisions are made collectively, preferably by consensus, and meeting minutes and resolutions are publicly available, ensuring legitimacy and transparency.






The CGI.br is responsible for setting strategic guidelines for the development and use of the Internet in Brazil. It also oversees initiatives such as NIC.br, a non-profit organization that serves as its executive and technical body.






NIC.br is responsible for the implementation of the committee’s policies, managing technical projects such as domain registration under “.br” (via Registro.br), the operation of IX.br, IP address allocation (in coordination with LACNIC), Internet quality measurement projects (e.g., SIMET), and promoting the deployment of IPv6, RPKI, DNSSEC, and training initiatives like BCOP and IPv6 courses, among many others.






This governance model has a rare and valuable quality: technical and institutional autonomy combined with social legitimacy. Internet governance in Brazil is not subordinated to a regulatory agency, a ministry, or any specific commercial entity. Instead, it is based on cooperation among multiple stakeholders, with decisions taken collectively and aimed at the public interest, even when they align with the legitimate interests of various sectors.






The success of IX.br is inseparable from this model. It is precisely because of this governance architecture that IX.br is able to offer free ports in 35 out of its 38 locations, maintain absolute neutrality in interconnection, and scale its operations without relying on market mechanisms alone. This infrastructure exists in its current form precisely because it was designed and implemented under a governance system that, until now, has resisted external and political interference.







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The Brazilian Telecommunications Model and Legal Separation






One of the legal and technical pillars sustaining the Internet in Brazil, and, by extension, the very operation of IX.br and thousands of network providers, is the legal separation between telecommunications services and value-added services (Serviços de Valor Adicionado, or SVA). This separation is enshrined both in the General Telecommunications Law (Law No. 9.472/1997) and in specific regulatory instruments, such as Norm No. 4/1995, and has been reaffirmed over time by technical and legal opinions issued by Anatel itself, the national telecommunications regulatory agency.






In practice, this means that the Internet is not classified as a telecommunications service, but as a value-added service that operates over telecommunications infrastructure. Cables, fiber optics, towers, and transmission links fall under the telecom domain. The Internet, however, refers to the content, protocols, IP addressing, BGP routes, DNS, and services that flow over these physical networks. This distinction is essential, not only from a legal standpoint, but also from technical and economic perspectives.






This separation has allowed thousands of small and medium-sized Internet providers to operate in Brazil without requiring a telecom license, as long as they rely on authorized infrastructure or deploy limited infrastructure of their own. These providers are key players in the massive expansion of IX.br, connecting through CIX, PIX, and regional backbones. More importantly, this legal framework has ensured the regulatory flexibility necessary for initiatives like IX.br, OpenCDN, and NTP.br to grow without being stifled by outdated telecom rules.






Meanwhile, telecommunications services, such as telephone networks, broadcast transmission, and physical backbones, are regulated directly by Anatel, an autonomous federal agency responsible for authorizing, supervising, and regulating telecom activities in Brazil.






This division of responsibilities has proven effective for over two decades, allowing the Internet to evolve rapidly, independently, and alongside traditional telecommunications services. Today, however, ongoing political and regulatory developments invite renewed discussion about how this balance should be maintained and adapted for the future.






On one front, Anatel has signaled its intent to revoke Norm No. 4/1995, a foundational regulation that affirms the legal separation between telecommunications services and value-added services, such as Internet access. Although the agency has not explicitly proposed reclassifying the Internet as a telecom service, such an outcome would become legally and politically viable in the absence of that norm. If implemented, this could expose ISPs, IXPs, Autonomous Systems, and even application providers to licensing regimes, regulatory fees, universal service mandates, continuity requirements, and administrative penalties.






On another front, a bill currently under discussion in Congress, Bill No. 4557/2024, seeks to place the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee under Anatel’s direct authority. If enacted, this could radically transform the governance of the Internet in Brazil, shifting from a collaborative, multistakeholder approach to a traditional regulatory hierarchy.






Such changes could turn the Internet into a regulated telecom service, centralized, slower to adapt, and more vulnerable to political or commercial capture.







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What Is at Stake






Discussions around Brazil’s Internet governance model are evolving on two key fronts: one in the legislative sphere, through proposals under debate in the National Congress, and another in the regulatory domain, through initiatives led by the telecommunications agency Anatel. These developments reflect a broader reconsideration of the institutional frameworks that have shaped the Internet in the country.






On the legislative side, Bill No. 4557/2024 proposes a sweeping reform of Internet governance in Brazil. Its most controversial provision is the subordination of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) to Anatel, placing the regulatory agency in charge of all strategic, operational, and normative aspects related to the Internet. Although the bill formally recognizes the existence of CGI.br, it redefines the committee as a consultative body with no decision-making power, what could effectively dissolve the multistakeholder model that has characterized Brazilian Internet governance since the 1990s. If passed, this new arrangement could directly affect the operations of NIC.br, and CGI.br would no longer be a deliberative body composed of different sectors, but rather a subordinate unit under unilateral control by a regulatory agency.






At the same time, Anatel has signaled its intent to revoke Norm No. 4/1995, which, as previously mentioned, clearly defines the legal boundary between telecommunications and value-added services such as Internet access and Internet applications and services. Reinterpreting the Internet as a telecom service could allow the agency to subject networks, IXPs, Autonomous Systems, and even online platforms to licensing, obligations, and sanctions typical of the telecom sector.






Importantly, this is not just a technical discussion, but part of a broader reflection on the appropriate role of the state in Internet governance. Brazil’s current model, decentralized, neutral, inclusive, and supported by private funding under a multistakeholder framework, is internationally recognized as a successful example. Considering changes that would bring it closer to a traditional telecommunications regulatory structure invites a careful examination.







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We Should Protect and Improve the Model That Already Proven Successful






It is no coincidence that under the current model, Brazil has managed to build the largest interconnection infrastructure in the world. IX.br is the biggest system of Internet Exchange Points under a single coordination entity, with operations in 38 metropolitan regions, over 4,200 Autonomous Systems, 183 PIX deployed in partner data centers, and more than 1,000 CIX enabling shared access. In São Paulo alone, IX.br hosts the highest-volume IXP in the world, surpassing the combined peak records of other global networks such as AMS-IX, CABASE, DE-CIX, LINX and PIT Chile.






These achievements did not happen in spite of the current model: they are direct outcomes of Brazil’s multistakeholder governance framework, the technical autonomy of NIC.br, and the legal separation between Internet services and telecom regulation. Together, they have enabled the emergence of a diverse, competitive, resilient, and technically sophisticated ecosystem.






The Brazilian Internet does not need to be rebuilt. It needs to be protected and improved within the framework that has already proven successful. That doesn’t mean challenges don’t exist, they do. Expanding connectivity, improving digital inclusion, securing networks, and extending the reach of IXPs are all urgent tasks. Those challenges should be solved through dialogue, investment in community infrastructure, and a deep respect for the collaborative model that Brazil has built, and that the world recognizes.






The 40 Tbps peak at IX.br is more than a number. It is proof that we got something right. Now, more than ever, is the time to defend what works.












Disclaimer






The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely my own, made in my personal capacity as a human being, citizen, engineer, and specialist in the field. They do not necessarily reflect the official positions of my current or past employers, nor of any organization with which I am affiliated.






Antonio M. Moreiras.


















[*] PS: In fact, In fact, as Michał Małyszko pointed out in a comment, this is not entirely true. The Equinix IX public statistics page — https://ix.equinix.com/home/locations-and-traffic/#traffic — shows that their aggregate traffic has already peaked at 43.5 Tbps. So they’ve surpassed IX.br in terms of maximum observed traffic. However, if we look at the traffic values from the past few days (37.21Tbps for Equinix), IX.br appears to be ahead, with a higher current aggregate throughput. Also worth noting: IX.br still leads globally when it comes to the number of participant networks!






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