Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX.NET)

What Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX.NET) does

Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX) is a member-run 501(c)(6) non-profit internet exchange point headquartered in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2000. The organization operates Internet Exchange Point (IXP) infrastructure - including BGP route servers and the IXP Manager V7.3.1 member portal - that enables its 100+ member organizations to exchange network traffic directly rather than through intermediate transit providers. NWAX serves a heterogeneous membership spanning regional ISPs and broadband cooperatives, hyperscale content and cloud providers (Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon, Cloudflare, Akamai, OVH, Hetzner), research and education networks (OHSU, Portland State, Portland Community College, Link Oregon, Pacific NW Gigapop), healthcare organizations (OCHIN, The Vancouver Clinic), government entities (City of Portland, City of Sandy, Clackamas ESD), and utilities (Portland General Electric), with members required to hold an Autonomous System Number and routable IP space.

NWAX's technical footprint consists of 15+ Points of Presence distributed across the Portland metro area in third-party data centers including QTS Hillsboro, Pittock Building, Flexential, Digital Fortress, EdgeConneX, Stack Infrastructure, H5, Digital Realty, Sunbreak, Clackamas ESD, and Ziply Somerset. The exchange fabric carries a daily peak of 560+ Gbps (with a 729 Gbps annual peak observed on member traffic graphs), and the majority of members operate open peering policies. In February 2025 NWAX solicited dark fiber quotes to interconnect its sites, and in September 2025 it added a new POP at Clackamas ESD, signaling ongoing infrastructure investment.

The business model is recurring subscription revenue from member port fees. The first 1 Gbps port per member is free; additional ports are charged monthly at $175 (1 Gbps/10 Gbps), $350 (25 Gbps), $1,000 (100 Gbps), or $2,500 (400 Gbps) under pricing taking effect July 1, 2026, with an additional surcharge for non-hosted colocation outside the Pittock Building facility. Day-to-day operations are led by an executive director partnering with a volunteer board elected by the membership; the organization employs 7 people. NWAX does not raise external capital, is not venture-backed, and does not publicly disclose financial results.

Name

Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX.NET)

Legal name

Northwest Access Exchange

Website

https://nwax.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX) is a member-run, non-profit Internet Exchange Point in Portland, Oregon, enabling 100+ member organizations - including ISPs, cloud/content providers, universities, healthcare networks, and government agencies - to directly exchange BGP-peered traffic across 15+ metro data centers, peaking at over 560 Gbps daily.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Exchange Point Services

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)

akta.pro primary industry

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & Peering Services (HDABALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carrier Interconnection & Peering Exchanges (IXPs, private interconnect, cross-connect) (HDAIAEAG), Interconnection-Focused Colocation (IX / Meet-Me-Room Ecosystems) (HDABACAF)

Keywords

• Internet exchange services
• Network peering infrastructure
• BGP route servers
• Interconnection services
• Network traffic exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Port Fees: Monthly and annual fees charged to member organizations for port connections at various speeds (1G, 10G, 25G, 100G, 400G). First 1Gbps port is free; additional ports and higher speeds are paid.
2. Non-hosted Colocation Surcharge: Additional monthly fees for members connecting at facilities outside NWAX's primary locations (currently only Pittock Building).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX) operates a member-run, non-profit internet exchange point (IXP) in Portland, Oregon. It provides physical port-based peering infrastructure at 1G, 10G, 25G, 100G, and 400G speeds across 15+ data center locations, enabling member networks to directly exchange BGP-routed traffic through shared route servers. The service is sold via monthly/annual port subscriptions, with a free first 1Gbps port, and is governed by a volunteer board representing the membership.

Product overview

Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX) operates as a member-run 501(c)6 non-profit internet exchange in Portland, Oregon. The core offering is the internet peering exchange, which facilitates direct traffic exchange between member networks. Members connect via various port speeds (1Gbps to 400Gbps) at over 15 data center locations across the Portland metro area. The service portfolio includes: the core Peering Exchange infrastructure, Port Connectivity Services at multiple sites, Route Server Services for simplified BGP peering, and the IXP Manager Member Portal for account management and traffic monitoring. NWAX processes a daily peak of 560Gbps across its exchange fabric, serving over 100 member organizations including ISPs, content providers, universities, healthcare organizations, and government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NWAX Internet Peering Exchange NWAX's core offering is a member-run internet exchange point that facilitates direct BGP peering among member organizations in the Pacific Northwest, allowing networks to exchange traffic without intermediate transit providers.
• Port Connectivity Services Provides member port connections at 1Gbps, 10Gbps, 25Gbps, 100Gbps, and 400Gbps speeds at multiple Portland metro data center locations. The first 1Gbps port is free; higher speeds and additional ports are billed monthly or annually under the published fee schedule.
• IXP Manager Member Portal Web-based portal for NWAX members to manage their peering connections, view traffic statistics, access member details, and configure port services. Built on IXP Manager V7.3.1 software.

Quantifiable outcome

• Daily peak traffic of 560Gbps exchanged among members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Seattle Internet Exchange (SIX): Non-profit regional IXP serving the Pacific Northwest, with overlapping ISP, content, and enterprise member base. SIX and NWAX compete for PNW-bound peering traffic, with SIX anchored in Seattle rather than Portland.
• LINX (London Internet Exchange): One of the world's largest non-profit IXPs, structurally similar to NWAX as a member-run exchange with port-based fees and route servers. LINX is the archetypal peer for benchmarking NWAX's member-driven non-profit model at scale.
• DE-CIX: Frankfurt-headquartered non-profit IXP operating globally. Comparable to NWAX in non-profit structure, peering service portfolio, and member-driven governance.
• AMS-IX: Amsterdam-based non-profit IXP with a global footprint. Directly comparable as a non-profit exchange offering port-based peering at multiple speeds, route servers, and member governance.
• France-IX: French non-profit IXP with multiple peering locations. Directly comparable in non-profit structure, member-driven model, and multi-POP peering fabric.
• Netnod: Swedish non-profit IXP operator providing peering infrastructure across multiple sites. Structurally similar to NWAX as a neutral, member-supported exchange platform.

Broad incumbents

• Equinix Internet Exchange: Commercial global interconnection platform with IX services inside Equinix IBX data centers, including Hillsboro. Competes with NWAX for the same PNW members but bundles colocation, cross-connects, and private peering at global scale.
• CoreSite (American Tower): Interconnection-focused colocation provider with an Open Cloud Exchange fabric. Comparable as a Hillsboro/Portland interconnection option competing for the same hyperscaler and ISP peering traffic.
• Digital Realty: Global colocation provider with interconnection-rich campuses in Hillsboro/Portland that host IX fabrics. Competes with NWAX for the same PNW peering members, leveraging PlatformDIGITAL and direct cross-connect ecosystems.

Others

• Packet Clearing House (PCH): Global non-profit that builds and operates IXP infrastructure worldwide, including in Portland. PCH is both a peer and an infrastructure partner/ecosystem participant for exchanges like NWAX.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NWAXPDX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-access-exchange-nwax.net-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Access Exchange (NWAX.NET)