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Cloudflare Starts Bandwidth Alliance With Google, Microsoft To Lower Data Transfer Costs

CDN specialist Cloudflare announced the formation of the Bandwidth Alliance, a cooperation of leading cloud providers set up to lower the costs of data transfer for mutual customers. Founding members include Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, IBM Cloud, Packet, DreamHost, BackBlaze, Automattic, Linode, Scalewa, Vapor and Digital Ocean. They will use Cloudflare’s Argo traffic routing engine to help reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of data transfers across their networks.

The alliance builds on similar services in the market such as Google’s CDN Interconnect programme, which provides direct interconnect links from CDNs to Google’s edge network with automatic reduced price billing. Cloudflare already participates in this programme, which it says can reduce data costs by as much as 75 percent. Microsoft Azure is working on a similar programme, in which Cloudflare is also participating.

The Bandwidth Alliance extends the alliance to more CDN and hosting providers, using Cloudflare’s Argo platform to calculate the best routes. The providers have agreed to discount if not waive certain data transfer fees for mutual customers with Cloudfare and apply the reduced prices automatically. Cloudflare said its current customers could already save nearly USD 50 million in data transfer fees by hosting with one of the providers in the alliance. More providers are invited to join.

Argo ensure that traffic is routed to the Cloudflare location nearest where the customer is hosted so traffic can pass across a Private Network Interface (PNI) and therefore receive the substantially lower bandwidth costs. Customers who choose to subscribe to the Full Argo paid service get additional performance benefits from optimized route selection, data compression, tiered caching, and protocol optimization.

Cloudflare recently marked its eighth anniversary and its investors include Google, Microsoft, Baidu and Qualcomm. The company counts over 150 points of presence around the world and and multiple peered and paid links at each location. – Telecom Paper

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