Internet data crossing Azerbaijan currently routes through external networks rather than staying within the country. AZE-IX, a new neutral internet exchange announced on 11 September 2026, is designed to change that and position Azerbaijan as an interconnection point between European and Asian digital infrastructure.
AzerTelecom, Azerbaijan’s international backbone operator, and DE-CIX, the world’s leading internet exchange operator, have launched a partnership to build AZE-IX, Azerbaijan’s first neutral internet exchange.
The exchange will provide a neutral platform for local and international networks, content providers, cloud service providers, and enterprises to exchange internet traffic within Azerbaijan rather than routing it through third-country networks. Keeping traffic local reduces latency, improves the resilience of backbone networks, and removes the foreign exchange cost and sovereignty risk of routing domestic internet traffic abroad.
The announcement is positioned as a component of the Digital Silk Way project, a transcontinental initiative run by NEQSOL Holding — AzerTelecom’s parent company through the Azerconnect Group — to establish a new digital corridor between Europe and Asia. Azerbaijan occupies an unusual geographical position: it sits at the junction of the Caspian, Black Sea, and Central Asian corridors, making it a natural transit point for fibre connecting European and Asian networks.
“Digital infrastructure is becoming as fundamental to economic competitiveness as transport and energy infrastructure,” said Kirill Rubinski, CEO of NEQSOL Holding. “Through AzerTelecom’s partnership with DE-CIX, we are bringing world-class interconnection capabilities to Azerbaijan, enabling data to move faster, more securely and more efficiently. AZE-IX is fully aligned with NEQSOL Holding’s strategy of investing in scalable infrastructure, developing international partnerships and strengthening Azerbaijan’s role as a digital bridge between Europe, Asia and the Middle East.”
Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX, framed the partnership as the company’s first move into Western and Central Asia. “DE-CIX has spent more than three decades building neutral interconnection ecosystems globally that help regions close gaps in digital access and capability. By keeping data traffic local, secure, and resilient, these ecosystems lay the foundations for a thriving digital economy. Azerbaijan’s position at the crossroads of the Caspian, Black Sea and Central Asian corridors makes it a natural location for a new connectivity hub.”
DE-CIX operates internet exchanges in more than 60 locations across Europe, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia, interconnecting networks from over 100 countries. AZE-IX extends that footprint into a region where neutral interconnection infrastructure has been largely absent. The exchange will be developed using DE-CIX’s standard interconnection model and integrated into its global ecosystem of internet and cloud exchanges.
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