London Internet Exchange
The members periodically elect the non-executive board of directors and convene at regular meetings to discuss technical, corporate governance, and regulatory matters.
In November 1994, using a donated piece of equipment no bigger than a video recorder and without any written contracts, five UK-based Internet service providers (ISPs) linked their networks to exchange data and avoid paying high transatlantic bandwidth costs.
Rack space was leased at a then virtually empty data center operated by Telehouse International Corporation of Europe Ltd at Coriander Avenue in London's Dockland.
[3] Switching the first data through the Telehouse hub was accomplished by primarily technical specialists who were unconcerned about the formalities of legal contracts.
Then, in late 1996, Keith Mitchell accepted the role of full-time chairman, working with a personal assistant from offices in Peterborough.
[4] In January 1999, it pioneered the implementation of a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) running over gigabit Ethernet connections.
LINX increasingly found itself taking on non-core activities, such as providing expert advice on behalf of its members (and, therefore, the whole industry) to a wide range of official agencies.
2001 – LINX amended its corporate structure to make the post of chairman non-executive and appointed its first chief executive officer, John Souter, previously UK managing director of German-owned Varieties Communications.
2002 – LINX was the first exchange to introduce 10G Ethernet operation, using equipment from Foundry Networks – in fact, the second of their worldwide customers to deploy their technology.
2003 – This year saw the launch of the 'LINX from Anywhere' service, a facility that permits smaller ISPs to piggyback on the networks of existing members to obtain a secure, virtual presence on the LINX exchange without incurring the manpower and Rackspace costs of having their own installation in London.
2005 – LINX members voted to make public affairs one of the company's "core functions", placing it on an equal footing with peering and interconnection.
2008 – LINX expanded again opening three new PoPs, this time adding considerably to the geographical diversity by doing so in the City of London, North Acton and Slough.
2013 – Two additional local exchanges, IX Scotland in Edinburgh and LINX NOVA in North Virginia, USA, were launched.
This caused dissension among members, many of which are non-UK based ISPs operating from countries where mass surveillance is, like in the UK, not legal.
[6] Voting on the constitutional revision took place during a hastily called Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 21 February; although a majority supported the change the number attending was too small for the motion to be carried.
LINX's Public Affairs department works to obtain advance warning of public policy developments that could affect LINX members, to inform members about important policy developments at a time when it is still possible to influence them, and to educate, inform and influence regulators and legislators.
Following discussions with the US network community, and its own members, LINX decided to launch an open peering exchange in North America in late 2013.
Formally to be known as LINX NoVA, the exchange will be closely aligned with, and endorsed by, the newly formed Open-IX, using systems and processes that have proved successful in Europe and the wider world for nearly 20 years.
