IP Transit: Why Direct Network Access Matters for Your Infrastructure

If you're running any kind of online infrastructure, you've probably noticed that network performance can make or break your service. The difference between a snappy website and one that feels sluggish often comes down to how many network hops your data has to travel through. That's where IP transit comes in—it's basically your express lane to the internet backbone.

What IP Transit Actually Does

Think of IP transit as your direct connection to the global internet highway. Instead of your data bouncing through multiple intermediary networks (each adding latency and potential failure points), you get a straight shot to a major backbone provider. Hurricane Electric operates one of the largest international internet backbones, which means when you connect through them, you're tapping into a network that already has direct relationships with thousands of other networks worldwide.

The practical benefit? Lower latency, fewer hops, and more reliable connectivity. Your users in Tokyo won't have to wait for data to ping-pong across half a dozen networks before reaching them.

The IPv6 Advantage You're Probably Not Using Yet

Here's something most providers don't advertise clearly: IPv6 support often costs extra. But with Hurricane Electric's IP transit, you get both IPv4 and IPv6 running over the same connection at no additional charge. This matters more than you might think.

IPv6 isn't just "the future"—it's increasingly the present. Major mobile carriers route substantial traffic over IPv6, and if your infrastructure doesn't support it, you're potentially degrading performance for a growing chunk of your user base. Having dual-stack capability means you can flip on IPv6 support whenever you're ready, without renegotiating your contract or paying more.

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What Makes a Quality Transit Provider

Not all IP transit is created equal. Here's what actually matters when you're evaluating backbone connectivity:

Network reach and peering relationships - Hurricane Electric maintains over 34,000 BGP sessions with more than 10,500 different networks across 320+ major exchange points. In plain English: they have direct connections to a massive chunk of the internet, which means your traffic doesn't need to take scenic routes to reach its destination.

Backbone redundancy - The network features at least five redundant 100G paths crossing the US, five separate 100G paths between the US and Europe, plus 100G rings in Europe and Asia. If one path goes down, your traffic automatically reroutes through alternatives without your users noticing.

Edge capacity - With over 400 terabits of edge capacity, there's headroom for growth. You won't hit a ceiling six months after signing up when your traffic doubles.

Modern infrastructure - All core nodes run on 100 Gbps or multiple 10 Gbps connections, and the entire network supports jumbo frames (9000 byte MTU). This matters for applications that move large amounts of data—think video streaming, file transfers, or database replication between data centers.

Speed Options That Scale With You

IP transit ports are available from 1 Gigabit Ethernet all the way up to 100 Gigabit Ethernet and beyond. Most businesses start with 1G or 10G connections, but knowing you can scale to 40G or 100G without changing providers gives you flexibility as your needs grow.

The network uses direct DWDM backbone circuits—meaning the connections run directly on fiber wavelengths, not layered on top of another carrier's MPLS network. This reduces complexity and potential points of failure.

Geographic Coverage

Service is available in major colocation facilities worldwide, including Equinix, Digital Realty, CoreSite, Cologix, and others. Cities covered include New York, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Ashburn, Toronto, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

If you're already colocated in one of these facilities, getting a cross-connect to Hurricane Electric's core router can bring your IP transit connection live quickly. The single AS (Autonomous System) worldwide approach also simplifies your BGP routing—you're peering with one entity globally rather than managing relationships with different providers in each region.

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Security and Modern Routing Practices

Hurricane Electric implements RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) routing security, which helps prevent BGP hijacking and route leaks. They generate ROAs (Route Origin Authorizations) for announcements using their address space and use RPKI validation when building prefix filters for BGP sessions. Their system monitors BGP in real-time and blocks RPKI Invalid routes within seconds.

This might sound technical, but it matters: it means your routes are less likely to be accidentally or maliciously hijacked, keeping your traffic flowing where it's supposed to go.

Pricing and Getting Started

IP transit service starts at $200 per month, with pricing scaling based on bandwidth requirements and location. BGP support is included at no extra charge, which is worth noting since some providers charge separately for routing protocol support.

The typical path to getting set up: determine your bandwidth needs, confirm you're in (or can get into) a facility where Hurricane Electric has presence, arrange a cross-connect, and configure your BGP sessions. If your team has network engineering experience, the technical setup is straightforward. If not, Hurricane Electric's sales team can guide you through requirements.

Who Should Consider IP Transit

Direct IP transit makes sense if you're running infrastructure where network performance directly impacts your business. This includes:

• Hosting providers and data centers offering services to end customers

• SaaS platforms where latency affects user experience

• Content delivery networks needing optimal peering

• Financial services requiring low-latency connectivity

• Gaming platforms where every millisecond matters

• Businesses with significant international traffic that needs efficient routing

If you're currently buying bandwidth from a reseller or using a single-homed connection, moving to direct IP transit with a major backbone provider often delivers noticeable performance improvements. Your data simply takes better paths to reach its destinations.

Making the Switch

The barrier to entry isn't as high as you might think. If you're already collocated in a facility with Hurricane Electric presence, you're just a cross-connect away. Many businesses start with a 1G connection to test performance and routing, then scale up as they validate the improvement.

The key is having clear requirements: know your current traffic levels, understand your growth trajectory, and identify which geographic regions matter most for your users. With that information, you can size your connection appropriately and avoid either over-provisioning (wasting money) or under-provisioning (hitting capacity limits too soon).

For detailed quotes and availability in specific facilities, reaching out to sales@he.net with your bandwidth needs and desired location will get you concrete pricing and timeline information.