LINX123 & 30th Birthday

Event Date: 20th-21st November 2024

By Holly Ruff

The LINX123 member meeting took place on Wednesday 20th – Thursday 21st November 2024 at the Park Plaza, Victoria & online.

Look back here!

Why attend LINX123

Networking Opportunities
Knowledge Sharing
Sponsors get Product and Service Exposure
Marketplace Awareness
Problem Solving
LINX operation updates

LINX Social & 30th Birthday

After the first day of the LINX Meeting, LINX invite all attendees to join us at a pub or bar close by. We will have a range of drinks and food on offer free of charge to all attendees. To gain access to the social, you must be wearing your badge (collected at event reception prior to the social) and have your social ticket (attached to your badge) on hand ready to give to our team at the door.

Agenda

Day 1 – 20th November 2024

Title	Time (GMT)	Description	Speakers
Event Opens & Welcome Lunch	13:00
Day 1 Begins	14:00	Welcome & Introductions	Jennifer Holmes, Incoming CEO, LINX
The Next Chapter CEO’s Quarterly Outlook	14:10	Hear LINX CEO’s last update before he leaves LINX. PDF	Kurtis Lindqvist, CEO, LINX
AI Meets Connectivity: Digital Realty’s insights on global and UK trends	14:30	PDF	Andreas Polyrakis & Darren Chan, Digital Realty
Preparing LINX for the next 30 years	14:50	Hear from LINX Chairman Pieter Knook on an important consultation PDF	Pieter Knook, Chairman, LINX
Unlocking the Future: Latest in Technology	15:20	In this session we’ll delve into LINX’s major projects, recent system improvements, and updates on critical service incidents. Discover the latest advancements in route server technology and the innovations driving LINX’s ongoing development. PDF	Richard Petrie, Anne Bates & Mo Shivji, LINX
Coffee & Networking Break	15:45
Connectivity is Everything – Remote Presentation	16:15	The fundamental utility of the Internet has always been the connection between computers. The evolution of connectivity over the course of 50 years has shaped the functionality of the Internet. Speed, scope and latency are three metrics that have enabled a variety of applications.	Vint Cerf – Remote Presentation
Driving the Future: What’s New with LINX	16:45	This session will cover key updates across LINX offerings, including enhancements to our LINX Protect DDoS mitigation services, which deliver robust protection against evolving cyber threats. We’ll also share insights into the rollout of Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS) in Nairobi, expanding our reach and connectivity options in Africa. PDF	Mike Hellers, Product Development Manager, LINX
Quantum Cryptographic VPNs	17:00	PDF	Melchior Aelmans, Juniper
Guest IXP – INEX	17:20	PDF	Eileen Gallagher, CEO, INEX
Defending the Realm – Deepfield in LINX	17:40	As the DDoS attack vectors amplify across multiple dimension, we need a rapid response solution to defend the partners and customers in the United Kingdom. This session covers the risks, market trends and a solution that offers immense scalability and flexibility. PDF	Azfar Aslam, VP & CTO NI Europe, Nokia
End of Day 1	18:00		Pieter Knook, Chairman, LINX
30th Birthday Social	18:15	Join us at Greenwood Sports Bar to celebrate – click here for directions

Day 2 – 21st November 2024

Title	Time (GMT)	Description	Speakers
Registration Opens – Refreshments Available	09:30
Day 2 Begins	10:00	Welcome & Introductions	Richard Petrie, CTO, LINX
Factors Driving the Growth of Data Centres in Africa	10:10	IXAfrica CEO, Snehar Shah, updates us on what’s happening in Africa. PDF	Snehar Shah, CEO, IXAfrica
Akamai: CDN Traffic Delivery in the UK	10:40	This presentation walks through how Akamai CDN is operating and deployed in the UK. It addresses how we meet the traffic demands of our customers, whilst delivering their content with high performance. The presentation gives an insight to the evolution of both the Platform and Backbone in the UK, concluding with an example of the traffic delivery statistics for Euro 2024 in the UK. PDF	Paul Dunbar, Senior Network Architect, Akamai
Pricing for Growth: LINX’s Approach	11:00	Hear from LINX’s Incoming CEO on the updated pricing model at LINX PDF	Jennifer Holmes, Incoming CEO, LINX
Coffee & Networking Break	11:15
Beyond the Numbers: LINX Budget for 2025	11:45	Hear from LINX’s new CFO for his first financial update PDF	Andrew Fabian, CFO, LINX
100G-ZR Transport in a pluggable	11:55	This presentation will provide an overview of the features of the forthcoming QSFP28 100G-ZR pluggable transceiver. It will include a comparison of host-to-module interactions and conclude with an exploration of various use case applications, as well as a comparison with alternative WDM technologies currently available in the market. PDF	Tyron Johnson, Precision Optical Technologies
IXPs and Developments in Networking: A 30 year personal review	12:05	Did we know what we were starting in the early 1990s? LINX was one of the first IXPs outside North America, and designed to keep local traffic local. Philip takes a personal journey through the development of networking since the founding of LINX, looking at the important role played by IXPs in the global infrastructure, and how the different players have taken us to where we are in today’s Internet! PDF	Philip Smith, NSRC
EGM	12:45	The LINX Extraordinary General Meeting PDF	Pieter Knook, Chairman, LINX Board
Lunch	13:00	Join us for a networking lunch
Routing Security and Regulatory Interest – Remote Presentation	14:00	The United States government is not alone in desiring to see improved security of routing infrastructure within their jurisdiction. National governments are responsible for the safety and security within their borders, but the routing system as a whole must function consistently across the globe — irrespective of national boundaries. This presentation will provide some insight into the rule-making being developed within the US, and its potential impact for network operators and routing security, and the role of industry-led initiatives such as the Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS). PDF	Leslie Daigle, CTO & Internet Integrity Program Director, Global Cyber Alliance – Remote Presentation
Infrastructure Sharing at Layer 1	14:20	Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI) brings together public and private sector organisations to create and share new digital infrastructure in Tameside, Blackpool, Manchester, Brighton, Lancaster and Sussex. Hear more about their shared infrastructure at layer 1: how has this supported the digital transformation of public services; how has it helped network operators to build faster and further; what challenges were faced, and what the future holds. PDF	Shaun Femson, CNI
Misinformation in the Red Sea: Investigating Concurrent Failures	14:35	On the 24th February this year, news began to break of three cables suffering damage in the Red Sea. Over the ensuing hours a flurry of information circulated within the industry, including much misunderstanding and misinformation. To understand the capacity impact and avoid further misreporting, it was critical to scrutinise and analyse the information available to quickly but accurately understand firstly the geographical location and then determine possible causes. This was important to counter emerging incorrect statements from press outlets and industry commentators. In this presentation, we will present the geopolitical context, the fault information that was available, and the investigation that allowed the industry to collectively confirm the actual cause and react accordingly. PDF	Meta
Feedback in Focus	15:05	What we’ve heard and what we’ve done… PDF	Megan Atkins, Head of Marketing, LINX
Put That in Your Pipe and Light It	15.25	The amount of existing telecoms infrastructure in the UK that could be re-used is staggering. And what about utility infrastructure? It’s not just underground assets that can be re-used – what about street furniture, poles, masts and towers? PDF	Rob Leenderts, CEO, Asset Hub
PeeringDB Update	15:40	An update on what’s new at PeeringDB from multi-factor authentication, to search functionality and security. PDF	Lynsey Buckingham, Partner and Communications Specialist, LINX
End of Day 2	15:55		Richard Petrie, CTO, LINX

Attendee List

The LINX123 attendee list for this event will be viewable on the LINX member portal. Please note that a member log-in to the portal is required to gain access.

Webcast for LINX Members

If you are unable to make the conference in person we provide a webcast service. Members will be able to access the webcast via the ‘events’ section in the LINX Member Portal (log-in required).

LINX has been webcasting its member meetings since LINX41 in May 2003. The service is an excellent way for LINX’s global membership to follow conference proceedings if they are unable to make the event in person.

View our example footage Access our member portal stream

Connectivity

We provide wireless connectivity (ssid=linx) during the event. Search for the ‘linx’ network and key the password ‘linx-meeting’. Please don’t hack, snoop, or otherwise do anything that would detrimental to other users

What to expect at a LINX Meeting?

We are a very friendly crowd made up of LINX Staff, Members, Partners, Sponsors and Guests. All staff will have orange stickers on their badge. All sponsors will have a blue sticker. All 1st time attendees have the option to wear a green sticker if they choose and the LPC (LINX Program Committee) have a bright green sticker. Come and speak to any one of us if you have any questions or just want to chat.

It is a very casual event, so there is no dress code. Please wear whatever you feel comfortable in and respect how others would like to dress.

We welcome everyone to join us for a free hot buffet lunch on day one. We then head into the conference agenda, with a coffee break in the middle, before we all head off to the evening networking event at a location within walking distance from the LINX Meeting venue. We then invite you back for day two with a few breakfast snacks before we start back to the agenda. There will be breaks throughout the day, as well as another hot buffet lunch. The agenda can be found on the tab above this page.

If you have any questions on what to expect before the LINX Meeting please reach out to Holly.

Equality

We want our events to be as inclusive as possible, so if there is anything we can do to better your experience, please let us know by emailing holly@linx.net.

Whether you require a quite space, assistance with physical accessibility, or support for visual/hearing impairments, kindly inform us, and we will strive to enhance your event experience to the fullest extent possible.

Please note, the space where we host LINX meetings is down one flight of stairs when you first enter the hotel lobby, however there are multiple step free lifts to the event space. Please seek hotel staff or LINX Staff if you are unsure of where to go.