The Israeli Internet eXchange (IIX), which connects Israeli ISPs and forms
as the central backbone of the Israeli Internet, was
last week connected via an ATM connection to the ATM backbone of Bezek, the
Israeli communications company.
This connection is intended to put an end to the long-time problem of many
Israeli users: slow service. For many months there have been complaints
from customers of various Internet providers regarding the slow
communications rate of Israeli sites stored on servers of other providers.
This slowness is caused by the narrow connection lines of all Israeli
providers, which creates the absurd situation that Israeli surfers can view
American sites, stored on servers across the ocean, faster than Israeli
sites stored near their homes.
Israel Internet providers are no longer limited to Bezek’s
present 2 mbps or a shared frame-relay connection to expand its exchange
and provide subscribers with more rapid communications. Providers can now
get a connection from Bezek, with a bandwidth of 25 mbps (up to 155 mbps in
the future).
“The expansion of the connection makes for a huge leap in the Israeli
Internet and will improve the quality of life for surfers,” said Doron
Shikmoni of the Israeli Internet Society, the organization that established
and now maintains the IIX exchange.
The first provider to be connected to the ATM exchange will be Internet
Zahav, one of the two largest ISPs in Israel, with a
connection of 10 mbps.
“Expansion of the connection improves the speed and quality on the Israeli
Internet for Internet Zahav’s surfing customers. In addition, expansion of
the line enables customers of other companies to surf many sites stored on
Internet Zahav’s servers more quickly,” said Ofer Amsalam, vice president
of operations for Internet Zahav. When additional providers will expand
their connection to IIX, most Israeli Internet users will enjoy faster
communications to local sites.
