Portugal news – A new report by German company DE-CIX shows that Portugal is the best interconnection hub globally. These are the Top 5 main reasons why Portugal is the best interconnection hub globally:
DE-CIX has just published a study titled "Portugal: a global interconnection hub, a gateway to Europe, a gateway to the world." According to the study, these are the main reasons why Portugal stands out as the best interconnection hub globally:
Top 5 main reasons why Portugal is the best interconnection hub globally:
1 – Distance between global hubs
According to the study, Portugal serves as an ideal nexus for underwater cable connectivity as the country seamlessly links other regions of the world with Europe, minimizing all round-trip times for data flows. Since minimizing the distance data has to travel is essential to keeping latency as low as possible, geographic location is critical not only for local data security, but also for network security. Portugal thus offers a viable alternative to the historic FLAPS interconnection centers (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Stockholm).
From the map below, it becomes evident that Lisbon occupies a strategically advantageous geographical position compared to other interconnection hubs globally. The table below shows the individual flight kilometers between the five main global economic centers in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa as well as other relevant internet interconnection hubs. Cumulatively, Lisbon boasts the lowest total kilometers among the hubs explored, with the most favorable average distances.
Here is the table showing distances between global connectivity hubs:
2 - Large network of undersea cables
With the establishment of an unprecedented link between Europe and South America through the new EllaLink undersea cable connecting Portugal to Brazil, Portugal will soon further diversify its cable routes from Portugal with a connection to Ireland through the PISCES subsea cable, and the Nuvem direct subsea cable link to the east coast of the USA that is expected to be launched in 2026.
Here is the map showing Portugal’s subsea cable links:
Here is the complete list of subsea cables linking Portugal:
3 – Large network of terrestrial cables linking to Spain
In addition to a thriving ecosystem of undersea cables, there is a robust network of terrestrial cables linking Portugal to Spain.
Here is the map showing the terrestrial cables linking Portugal to Spain:
4 – Large number of data centers & internet exchange points
Portugal has an established Internet Exchange (IX) achieving globally competitive roundtrip times and keeping locally destined traffic local, that are essential factors to be recognized as a global interconnection hub. Portugal’s thriving Internet Exchange (IX) market with a distributed and diverse interconnection ecosystem of both local and international network providers as well as data center operators meet the needs of network operators and companies in the process of digitalization.
Portugal has invested heavily in data centers and has doubled the number of Internet exchange points from 2016 to 2024, that have made it possible for the country to seamlessly connect other regions of the world to Europe and beyond.
Portugal was ranked No. 3 in Europe in 2023 for fiber connectivity (FTTH/B), with a penetration rate of 71.1%. Portugal recorded a 58% increase in the number of public routing networks from 2016 to 2024, and 90% of registered ASNs were announced.
As of early 2024, Portugal has 33 data centers, of which 20 are located in or around Lisbon. In Covilhã, Portugal has one of the largest data centers in the world. Additionally, there are plans for a data center powered by 100% green energy as part of the unique Sines data center project. When the project will be completed, it will be the largest renewable energy data center in Europe.
The four main international cable landing stations and the three main Portuguese Internet Exchangers (IX) in Lisbon are located within a radius of just 100 kilometers, creating a concentrated interconnected network infrastructure.
A strong and resilient connectivity infrastructure and an abundance of data centers enable the emergence of a diverse Internet Exchange (IX) ecosystem. DE-CIX, the leading global Internet Exchange operator, entered the Portuguese market with DE-CIX Lisbon in 2019. The company has achieved the first position as the largest IX in the Portuguese market, with 60 connected networks, including two newly connected Brazilian networks that take advantage of the direct connection between Portugal and Brazil via the EllaLink submarine cable.
5 - IP Transit speed & prices
The report findings show that Portugal's IP transit connectivity prices have fallen by 65% since 2016 to reach 0.26 euro, giving it a competitive foothold in the European market.
From 2016 to early 2024, Portugal’s average internet connection speed went from 12.6 Mbps to 119 Mbps, an increase of 844%. This has seen the country rise 15 places in the global ranking of average Internet connection speed, going from 37th to 22nd.
Here is the table showing internet connectivity in Portugal:
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