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Finally! We can tell you what’s going on behind the scenes around here.

Next week, we’ll be celebrating the opening of the Nashville Internet Exchange.

A quick explanation: An Internet Exchange (IX) is a physical infrastructure that allows member internet service providers (ISPs) to exchange traffic between their individual networks. They reduce the portion of an ISP’s traffic that has to go through an upstream provider, which ultimately reduces cost and increases speeds.

There are only a handful of exchanges in the United States, and with Nashville’s growing reputation as a tech hub, we knew it was time to open one here.

Right now, anything that goes out over the Internet from Nashville has to go through Atlanta, Chicago, or Dallas. The Nashville Internet Exchange localizes our connectivity, making it faster for residents.

Ok, we know. Internet Exchanges aren’t the easiest things to understand, but here’s an analogy:

Consider an airport. An airport is not owned by the airlines, and few of a city’s citizens use it on a daily basis.

But, without the airport, air travel would be much more expensive, because airlines would have to operate their own. And even though residents may not use it every day, a bustling airport or two is a sign of a vibrant city.

The Nashville Internet Exchange is like an airport.

It will be used by internet service providers all over the country and will bring costs down for everyone.

And, even if an average citizen doesn’t notice the increase in internet speeds, the launch of NashIX is just one more indication that Nashville is a vibrant, exciting tech hub.

We’ve been working on this for a while now. The board consists of our own Peter Marcum, who will act as chairman the first year, Keao Caindec from 365 Data Centers, and Jim Peace of VPNTranet.