On January 15, 2025, Namex reached a historic milestone: the first terabit of internet network traffic, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its impressive growth story. This achievement coincided with the broadcast of the Inter – 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 to this extraordinary achievement? 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 with the aim of promoting local Internet traffic exchange, creating a model that would reduce dependency on international providers. Initially, it was a point of reference for connecting Italian operators, but its growth soon attracted international attention.
Namex first steps
The first significant milestone came in 2004, when Namex achieved 1 Gbps, 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 Internet Exchange Point (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 in order 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 10 Gbps, marking a fundamental leap that reflected the increasing demand for connectivity.
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The 10G record of Namex (2009)
By 2016, Namex had reached 72 Gbps, with Facebook emerging as one of the main users of the exchange point. The following year, in 2017, traffic surged to 80 Gbps, with Netflix joining as one of the major players in the network. By 2018, Namex reached 92 Gbps, with Netflix, Facebook, and Google now firmly among the leading providers. In 2019, Namex continued its growth trajectory, reaching 105 Gbps and supporting major global companies like Netflix, Facebook, Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft.
The 100G record of Namex (2016)
The 10G record of Namex (2009)
By 2016, Namex had reached 72 Gbps, with Facebook emerging as one of the main users of the exchange point. The following year, in 2017, traffic surged to 80 Gbps, with Netflix joining as one of the major players in the network. By 2018, Namex reached 92 Gbps, with Netflix, Facebook, and Google now firmly among the leading providers. In 2019, Namex continued its growth trajectory, reaching 105 Gbps and supporting major global companies like Netflix, Facebook, Google, Cloudflare, and Microsoft.
The 100G record of Namex (2016)
The year 2020 was marked by the global 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 Internet Exchange Points (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 150 Gbps, 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 extraordinary 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 434 Gbps 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 530 Gbps, with new players like TikTok and Disney+ further strengthening the connectivity landscape.
The growth and number of peaks recorded in 2024 were exceptional, marking an extraordinary 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 February 2, 2024, the Inter vs Juventus match in Serie A, streamed by DAZN, set a peak of 621 Gbps. Shortly after, on February 21, 2024, Prime Video’s coverage of the Napoli vs Barcelona UEFA match reached 640 Gbps. Traffic continued to rise with the Atletico Madrid vs Inter match on March 13, 2024, reaching 697 Gbps, while the April 17, 2024 match between Manchester City vs Real Madrid hit 702 Gbps.
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 analyzed 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 7 million 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 September 18, 2024, the Manchester City vs Inter UEFA match reached 784 Gbps, demonstrating the explosive growth of traffic. Remarkably, Namex also achieved a peak of 819 Gbps 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 November 27, 2024, the Aston Villa vs Juventus UEFA match reached 911 Gbps, and on December 11, 2024, the Juventus vs Manchester City UEFA game set a new peak of 972 Gbps.
The growing number of traffic peaks throughout 2024 highlights not only the tremendous impact of streaming platforms like DAZN and Amazon Prime Video, but also the essential role of Namex in meeting the increasing demand for high-performance connectivity. The explosive traffic growth and achievement of these milestones are a testament to the rising global need for advanced network infrastructure to support an increasingly interconnected world.
On January 14, 2025, the Atalanta vs Juventus Serie A match surged to an astonishing 981 Gbps, setting the stage for the highly anticipated terabit milestone the following day.
The first terabit of traffic was achieved on January 15, 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. With its continuous infrastructure improvements, Namex is ready to meet future challenges and support the long-term evolution of the Internet.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LACNIC.
