Scaling AI through our global network footprint

As the connectivity ecosystem evolves rapidly, a robust Internet backbone becomes even more crucial to ensure the real-time functionality of AI applications. In turn, operators must enhance diversity, reliability and reach to enable high-capacity data transfer between data center campuses or to support end-user requests at the network edge.

To leverage the power of AI globally, enterprises and hyperscalers can secure Tier-1 connectivity that extends into the 70,000+ networks which comprise the Internet. However, operators must contend with varying power, land and fiber availability between geographies. So, how is Arelion navigating these obstacles to support the next wave of innovation for our customers?

Meeting the challenge: A legacy of connectivity excellence

Arelion has worked for decades to optimize diversity, reliability and reach, with relentless expansion defining our DNA from day one. Our #1 ranked global Internet backbone connects to over 350 Points-of-Presence (PoPs) worldwide, serving customers in 129 countries and spanning 77,000 km across North America, Europe and Asia. This allows us to deliver diverse, scalable connectivity wherever our customers need it, providing direct connection to over 2,900 wholesale customers and a single hop to critical Internet routes.

We also connect directly to leading cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, Microsoft Azure and IBM Cloud, having been awarded a gold-tier Google Verified Peering Provider badge in recognition of our ability to ensure diverse connectivity to Google Cloud services. Our 30+ years of organic network growth is an anomaly as the telecommunications industry increasingly consolidates, allowing us to enable seamless connectivity for AI applications no matter the use case or location.

Let’s explore our recent network expansions to understand how our footprint creates business value for enterprises and hyperscalers looking to leverage the power of AI.

Bridging borders in Mexico

Mexico has been a long-time focus, with Arelion being one of the first Tier-1 network operators to support Mexico’s connectivity growth after 2013 market reforms. Amid nearshoring and manufacturing investments, Mexico’s ICT sector has experienced substantial investment, with our routes providing more diversity and resiliency than legacy cables to support these markets. We recently launched a new DWDM route connecting our PoP at KIO QRO1 in Querétaro, Mexico, to KIO MEX 5 in Tultitlán and KIO MEX2 CDMX (Santa Fe) in Mexico City. Our route from Tultitlán to Querétaro offers the shortest, lowest-latency path between these markets, supporting our customers’ AI/ML, cloud and content applications. This expansion also complements our fully diverse mesh routes in Texas’ DASH (Dallas-Austin-San Antonio-Houston) region.

In September 2024, we launched a fully diverse route from Monterrey to Querétaro to support cloud and AI/ML applications through terabit-scale capacities. Querétaro is leading Mexico’s data center boom, with studies estimating that 73 data centers will be established in the region by 2029. Our Querétaro PoPs also serve as centralized hubs supporting access to AI applications for customers in Guadalajara, San Luis Potosi and Merida.

Surfing the Silicon Coast

The Gulf Coast (dubbed the “Silicon Coast”) has emerged as another investment region to enhance our North American network diversity. These markets have seen significant growth, with Texas ranking as the second-largest data center market in the United States and experts projecting the Dallas market will reach a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7 percent by 2030.

In March 2025, we launched three new fully diverse mesh routes in Texas from Austin to Dallas, to Houston and back to Austin, with additional overbuild capacity between Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. These routes enhance diversity for traffic from Mexico to AI/ML data centers in the thriving DASH region. This network expansion allows our wholesale and enterprise customers to bypass traditional carrier hotels and connect directly to hyperscale campuses, enhancing availability and reducing latency for AI/ML and cloud interconnection.

In December 2024, we also launched a fully diverse route from Houston, TX, to Jacksonville, FL, via Slidell, LA, Mobile, AL and Tallahassee, FL. This network expansion adds a fourth diverse path into Tallahassee to complement our existing Florida network. It also connects traffic flows from Mexico to hyperscale AI/ML hubs in Texas, providing additional diversity into Atlanta’s thriving data center market.

Staying the course for over 30 years

In addition to these recent launches, our North American network includes PoPs and routes in primary and secondary data centers markets such as Northern Virginia, the East Coast, Atlanta, Kansas City and others. Visit this link to explore our full network footprint across hundreds of PoPs. Throughout decades of network expansion, we’ve followed escalating customer demands to enhance diversity and reach, providing reliable connectivity for AI use cases at every level of the telecom ecosystem. So, if you need a network with global reach and fully diverse connectivity to support your emerging applications, we already have one — and it’s only growing.

Providing secure connectivity for the AI era

Our next blog will explore how Arelion provides the guardrails and DDoS mitigation mechanisms that are crucial to AI’s cybersecurity and data sovereignty requirements, helping our customers deploy AI applications with confidence through resilient connectivity.

Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist