What carrier-neutral means#
A carrier-neutral data center lets you bring in any network provider you like. A carrier-specific one makes you buy from the owner. That's now rare.
So the label tells you almost nothing. Nearly everyone's neutral. Ask the sharper question below.
The question that matters: which networks are already here?#
A carrier is on-net when its network already reaches the building. You connect with one cable. If it isn't there, it has to build in, and that costs money and months.
Why some buildings have far more networks than others#
Every provider says it's neutral. Only some buildings are packed with networks. That comes from decades of fiber meeting in the same place: a carrier hotel with a busy meet-me room.
- One Wilshire, Los Angeles. CoreSite LA1, which CoreSite says carries about a third of trans-Pacific internet traffic.
- The Infomart, Dallas. Three providers in one building, plus the DE-CIX Dallas exchange.
- Digital Realty PHX10, downtown Phoenix. The city's busiest network meeting point.
The building matters more than the policy. Pick for the networks you need.
Internet exchanges and cloud on-ramps aren't the same thing#
- An internet exchange is where many networks swap traffic directly. DE-CIX Dallas is one.
- A cloud on-ramp is a private line into one cloud, like AWS Direct Connect.
Cloud on-ramp claims get stretched the most. Usually the cloud is reached over a network, not inside your building. Across our four metro guides, only one building-level AWS on-ramp is confirmed: CoreSite VA3 in Reston.
So ask: is my cloud connection in this building, or over a network? More in the bid guide.
How Clectiv AI solves this#
Doing this on your own means months of chasing reps, one at a time. Every call starts from scratch, and every provider knows they're the only one in the room.
With Clectiv AI, it's days, not months. Tell us about your project once, and it goes to every provider that fits, at the same time. They know they're competing, so their best numbers come back side by side.
You start where others finished, with 20+ years of buyer-side deals and our own data on 2,200+ buildings behind your request.
Connection fees, once you've picked a building#
A cross-connect is the cable from your gear to a carrier, a cloud or another tenant. It's billed monthly plus an install fee, and it's the cost buyers most often miss.
- You often pay at both ends. A one-sided quote hides the other charge.
- Removing one usually costs something.
- In busy setups, connections can cost as much as the racks. Count them and price them over the full term.
- Virtual connections are priced separately, by port and speed.
See what your contract should include and how to run a data center bid.