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EXA Infrastructure

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EXA Infrastructure
IndustryDigital infrastructure
Founded2021
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
Key people
Jim Fagan (CEO), Nick Read (Chairman)
Websiteexainfra.net

EXA Infrastructure is a digital network infrastructure platform and cable network connecting Europe and North America owning over 170,000 km of fibre network in 37 countries.[1][2][3][4] It owns and manages extensive terrestrial and subsea fiber networks, including EXA Express, Dunant, Havfrue, Amitie[5], and expanded its subsea portfolio through the acquisition of Aqua Comms.[6] It was established in the 2000s as part of joint projects by Hibernia Networks, Interoute and KPN.[7][8]

History

[edit]

In 2000, the building of the network started both in Europe and across the Atlantic. It was followed by the opening of BARI Cable Landing Station for OTE in 2003.[9]

In 2004, EXA acquired the CECOM Network in the Czech Republic.[10] In 2005, the network was expanded in the US and EU. In 2006, the network extended to Halifax, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Montreal.[11] In 2007, EXA's network was expanded with the addition of Warsaw and the installation of a subsea cable from Malta to Sicily in 2008. In 2009, the network was built in Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.[12] The project Kelvin, expanding the network in Northern Ireland, followed in 2010, along with the building to Istanbul.[13] In 2011, EXA's network was expanded with a subsea cable landing from Tunisia to Sicily.[14] The following year, the Bezeq submarine cable was landed in Bari.[15] In 2015, EXA Infrastructure introduced EXA Infrastructure Express with the lowest latency connection between the UK and the US.[16]

In 2018, Sofia-Belgrade-Budapest was built, and in 2019, KPN was acquired, expanding routes in the UK and Netherlands.[15] On September 17, 2021, EXA was established in London by I Squared Capital.[17] The company emerged from the infrastructure assets carved out from GTT (Interoute/Hibernia) which had been developed since the 2000s.[18][19][20]

In 2022, EXA Infrastructure extended its subsea and terrestrial fiber/duct infrastructure across Italy, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, France, Spain, and Portugal.[21][22][23] In 2023, EXA Infrastructure added three new transatlantic cables to its network, named Dunant, Havfrue, and Amitie.[5][24][25]

In 2024, Exa Infrastructure agreed with Telecom Egypt to extend its network from Europe to Egypt.[26] To strengthen its European and transatlantic footprint, EXA Infrastructure has made key acquisitions and launched new services in 2024:

The acquisition of GCN enhanced EXA’s European terrestrial network in Bulgaria.[27]

The launch of EXA Financial Network (EFN) introduced a specialized infrastructure platform designed for financial exchanges, providing ultra-low-latency connectivity across North America and Europe.[28]

The Managed Fibre Network (MFN) service allows enterprises to scale quickly with a fully managed fiber model, reducing the complexities of network ownership.[29]

In 2025, EXA Infrastructure expanded its European network through several strategic projects and investments. In February, the company was selected by IOEMA as the UK landing partner for a new subsea cable system in Leiston, Suffolk, providing landing facilities and backhaul links to major London data centres.[30]

In March 2025, EXA partnered with Ultranet to build a new 175-kilometre fibre route between Genoa and Milan, enhancing network resilience and diversity in northern Italy.[31]

By mid-2025, EXA completed a 1,200-kilometre high-capacity fibre route connecting London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels, including subsea segments optimised for low latency.[32]

In September 2025, the company announced Project Visegrád, one of Central Europe’s largest cross-border fibre-backbone builds in decades, linking Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary to EXA’s German and Austrian backbone.[33]

In October 2025, EXA finalised a €1.3 billion refinancing to support long-term network expansion, and completed a major upgrade to the Paris–Marseille corridor by introducing a geographically diverse Paris–Dijon–Marseille route.[34][35] Later that month, EXA agreed to acquire long-haul duct infrastructure from Conexio doo Beograd, expanding its footprint in the Balkans.[36]

On 31 December 2025, EXA Infrastructure completed the acquisition of Aqua Comms, a subsea cable operator specializing in transatlantic connectivity. The acquisition expanded EXA Infrastructure’s subsea portfolio and reinforced its presence in the North Atlantic region.[37]


Activities

[edit]

EXA Infrastructure operates primarily in Europe, trans-Atlantic, and East Coast North America, focusing on infrastructure, transport, colocation, and technical services.[38][23] Jim Fagan is the CEO since August 2024,[19][39] and Nick Read (former Vodafone CEO) is chair of EXA's board of directors.[40][20]  

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Our Network". EXA Infrastructure. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Network stats". Connect Online. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  3. ^ "EXA Infrastructure". datacentremagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  4. ^ "Exa Infrastructure announces new transatlantic cable route". Capacity Media. 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. ^ a b "EXA Infrastructure announces sixth transatlantic route with addition of Amitié". Intelligent CIO Europe. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  6. ^ "EXA Infrastructure completes Aqua Comms deal". Capacity. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  7. ^ "Exa confirms network expansion plans from England to Turkey". Capacity Media. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  8. ^ "Out of chapter 11 GTT 2.0 names board". Capacity Media. 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ^ "Interoute". www.scritub.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  10. ^ "Interoute Buys Cecom". lightreading. 2004-05-20.
  11. ^ "History of the Atlantic Cable & Submarine Telegraphy - Cable Timeline". atlantic-cable.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  12. ^ Gilguy, Christine (2009-12-17). "Tunisie: création d'un câble sous-marin pour les télécommunications". Le Moci (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  13. ^ "Telecompaper". www.telecompaper.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  14. ^ kcl@rk (2009-12-15). "New subsea cable brings digital independence to Tunisia". SubTel Forum. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  15. ^ a b "Exa Infrastructure and Hurricane Electric partner on global Internet connectivity". Capacity Media. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  16. ^ "EXA Infrastructure launches new hybrid route linking New York and London | Fibre Systems". www.fibre-systems.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  17. ^ "nLighten acquires 7 data centres from Exa Infrastructure". Capacity Media. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  18. ^ Swinhoe, Dan (2024-04-04). "nLighten acquires seven data centers from Exa Infrastructure". datacenterdynamics.
  19. ^ a b Butler, Georgia (2024-02-21). "Exa Infrastructure poaches Aqua Comms CEO". datacenterdynamics.
  20. ^ a b Turner, Annie (2023-07-03). "Read rides again with EXA Infrastructure". Mobile Europe. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  21. ^ "EXA announces investment in Iberian Peninsula | Total Telecom". totaltele.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  22. ^ "Exa Infrastructure boosts Crete's network with new submarine route | Fibre Systems". www.fibre-systems.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  23. ^ a b Lipscombe, Paul (2024-02-28). "Exa Infrastructure to deploy hybrid route between New York and London". datacenterdynamics.
  24. ^ "Exa launches sixth transatlantic cable, teams with NJFX". Capacity Media. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  25. ^ Turner, Annie (2024-01-22). "EXA Infrastructure announces sixth transatlantic route, Amitié". Mobile Europe. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  26. ^ "TE signs agreement with EXA Infrastructure to boost international data movement via 'WeConnect' - Dailynewsegypt". 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  27. ^ "GCN". Optical Connections News. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  28. ^ "EFN". Fintech Alliance. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  29. ^ "MFN". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  30. ^ "EXA Infrastructure picked for UK submarine cable landing". Telecoms.com. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
  31. ^ "Exa to connect Italy's data hubs with new Ultranet fibre route". Capacity Media. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  32. ^ "EXA unveils high-capacity fibre route for key Euro business centres". Computer Weekly. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  33. ^ "EXA Infrastructure Expands Fibre Network with Project Visegrád in Central Europe". The Fast Mode. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  34. ^ "EXA removes major European network bottleneck by upgrading Marseille to Paris route". Optical Connections News. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  35. ^ "Eurobites: EXA tackles Paris–Marseille bottleneck". Light Reading. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  36. ^ "EXA Infrastructure to Purchase Long-haul Duct Assets from Conexio". Telecom Review Americas. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  37. ^ "EXA Infrastructure completes Aqua Comms deal". Capacity Media. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  38. ^ "Exa Infrastructure advances transatlantic connectivity with new subsea cable route | Fibre Systems". www.fibre-systems.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  39. ^ "Jim Fagan named Exa Infrastructure CEO". Capacity Media. 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  40. ^ "Former Vodafone CEO Nick Read finds new home at EXA Infrastructure | Total Telecom". totaltele.com. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
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