Private Layer 2 DCI, Wavelengths & Texas On Ramps
Layer 2 Data Center Interconnect Across 266 US and 24 Texas Sites
Key Takeaways
Data Center Interconnect links two or more colocation facilities over private Layer 2 Ethernet or optical wavelengths from 1 Gbps to 400 Gbps for replication, hybrid cloud, and disaster recovery. Obsidian X benchmarks Megaport software defined NaaS across 634 global and 266 US data centers against carrier wavelengths and dark fiber across 250+ suppliers.
Linking two or more colocation facilities for synchronous replication, disaster recovery, or workload migration used to require 90 day carrier wavelength orders and locked down ports. Obsidian X benchmarks Megaport Point to Point DCI (across 1,000+ enabled locations worldwide, including 634 locations across 266 US facilities, 16 in Dallas Fort Worth, and 8 in Houston) side by side against Equinix Fabric, PacketFabric, carrier wavelengths, and dark fiber.
Three Ways to Link Data Centers: NaaS Fabric DCI vs Carrier Wavelengths vs Dark Fiber
When an enterprise needs high speed Layer 2 connectivity between two colocation cabinets, whether across the Dallas Fort Worth metro or from Texas to Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, or Chicago, choosing the wrong transport model either strands capacity or locks you into rigid multi year carrier contracts.
Megaport Point to Point DCI packages 10 Gbps or 100 Gbps metro to metro or long haul interconnect while keeping both 10G or 100G physical ports unlocked so you can still spin up additional Virtual Cross Connects to AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle, or Megaport Internet (scalable from 20 Mbps to 10 Gbps in 1 Mbps increments across two diversity zones). Because Obsidian X represents 250+ suppliers, we benchmark NaaS fabrics directly against traditional carrier wavelengths and dark fiber:
| Interconnect Model | Capacity & Port Architecture | Turn Up Timeline | When This Architecture Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Defined NaaS DCI (Megaport, Equinix Fabric, PacketFabric) | 1G, 10G, 100G, and 400G ports; Megaport 10G/100G DCI packages include two unlocked ports for additional cloud VXCs and Megaport Internet | LOA in minutes; facility cross connect in hours to days; virtual circuit in under 60 seconds | Hybrid colocation + multicloud environments, disaster recovery replication, or 10G/100G migration bursts requiring flexible 1 to 36 month terms |
| Dedicated Carrier Optical Wavelength | Fixed 10 Gbps, 100 Gbps, or 400 Gbps point to point optical wave between two exact A and Z addresses | 30 to 120 days depending on carrier fiber presence and metro construction | Constant 24/7 100G to 400G point to point pipes between two permanent facilities with zero need for cloud on ramp branching |
| Metro Dark Fiber Pair | Customer lit DWDM optical spectrum over leased unlit fiber strands between nearby metro buildings | 60 to 180+ days (route engineering, splicing, and customer optical transceivers) | Ultra high density multi terabit campus or metro rings where the enterprise owns and operates its own optical DWDM gear |
Dallas Fort Worth (16 Sites) and Houston (8 Sites): Verified Megaport & Colocation Footprint
Texas is one of the densest interconnection corridors in North America. Checked against Megaport's public locations API on October 14, 2026 (which lists 634 enabled locations globally across 266 US facilities, alongside broader campus extensions exceeding 1,000+ service locations worldwide), 16 enabled data centers sit in Dallas Fort Worth and 8 sit in Houston across major operators including Equinix, Digital Realty, DataBank, CoreSite, TierPoint, Flexential, CyrusOne, Stack, Cologix, QTS, Netrality, and TRG.
| Texas Metro | Sites With Both MCR (Cloud Router) & MVE (Virtual Edge) | Enabled Data Center Operators & Facilities in the Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Fort Worth (16 API sites) | Equinix Dallas DA1, Digital Realty Dallas DFW10 (DAL1), plus MVE enabled Cologix DAL2 and Csquare Fort Worth DFW1 | Equinix (DA1, DA2, DA3, DA6, DA11 campus), Digital Realty (DFW10, DFW28), DataBank (DFW1, DFW2, DFW3), CoreSite DA1, TierPoint (DA1, DA2), Flexential, CyrusOne (Carrollton, Allen, Lewisville), Stack, Cologix DAL2, QTS Dallas, NTT TX1, Csquare (DFW1, DFW2, DFW3), Evocative DAL6 |
| Houston (8 API sites) | DataBank HOU2, Netrality Houston | DataBank (HOU1, HOU2, HOU3, HOU4, HOU5 campus), Netrality Houston, CyrusOne, TierPoint, TRG Datacenters, Digital Realty IAH11, Stream Houston, Element Critical Houston, Switch Houston 2 |
Megaport vs Equinix Fabric vs PacketFabric for Multi Operator Colocation
A common pitfall in data center sourcing is assuming you must use the building owner's proprietary fabric. While Equinix Fabric is deeply integrated inside Equinix IBX facilities, enterprises with cabinets spread across DataBank, Digital Realty, CyrusOne, CoreSite, TierPoint, Flexential, or QTS often pay double cross connect and metro extension fees if their fabric is not natively on net in both buildings.
Megaport operates neutrally across 115+ unique data center operators, and Obsidian X verifies exact physical Point of Presence availability, diversity zones, and cross connect rates in both your A loc and Z loc buildings before you sign a colocation lease or connectivity order.
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Key benefits of our Data Center Interconnect (DCI) practice
Unlocked 10G & 100G DCI Port Packages
Megaport Point to Point DCI bundles include two unlocked 10G or 100G ports so you can run private rack to rack replication and still add cloud VXCs on the same ports.
634 Global & 266 US Facilities (24 in Texas)
Connect across 115+ independent data center operators including 16 enabled sites in Dallas Fort Worth and 8 in Houston per the October 14, 2026 API.
Hours to Days Physical Cross Connect Turn Up
Generate your Letter of Authorization in minutes and complete the facility cross connect in hours to days instead of waiting 30 to 120 days for telco construction.
Megaport Internet Across Two Diversity Zones
Layer on demand Dedicated Internet Access from 20 Mbps to 10 Gbps in 1 Mbps increments across two physical diversity zones onto your existing ports.
Fabric vs Wavelength vs Dark Fiber Modeling
We compare Megaport, Equinix Fabric, and PacketFabric against dedicated 10G/100G/400G carrier wavelengths and metro dark fiber across 250+ suppliers.
Short Term Migration Burst Support
Spin up 10 Gbps or 100 Gbps DCI circuits on month to month terms to evacuate a legacy data center before a lease cliff, then dial bandwidth down once cutover completes.
Where it pays off
Synchronous Storage & Database Replication
Link primary production racks in Dallas Fort Worth with disaster recovery cages in Houston, Austin, or Ashburn over deterministic Layer 2 Ethernet.
Data Center Consolidation & Lease Exits
Provision temporary 10G or 100G month to month interconnects to migrate terabytes of virtual machines and storage arrays ahead of a colocation renewal deadline.
Cross Operator Metro Interconnect
Bridge cabinets in an Equinix IBX facility to cages inside DataBank, Digital Realty, CyrusOne, TierPoint, or Flexential without carrier local loop delays.
Combined DCI, Cloud On Ramp & DIA Handoff
Use a single pair of diverse 10G or 100G Megaport Ports to run point to point DCI, AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, and Megaport Internet simultaneously.
From first look to proven results
- 01
A Loc & Z Loc Facility Verification
We verify exact building addresses, suite/cage numbers, meet me room cross connect rates, and physical diversity zones at every data center in your footprint.
- 02
NaaS vs Wavelength Engineering Comparison
Our team models latency, route diversity, and port utilization across Megaport, Equinix Fabric, PacketFabric, and dedicated carrier optical waves.
- 03
Competitive Bidding & Cross Connect Negotiation
We bid the requirement across our 250+ supplier portfolio and negotiate both the inter facility transport and the colocation cross connect terms.
- 04
LOA Generation, Patching & RFC 2544 Testing
We coordinate LOAs, data center remote hands patching, optics compatibility (1G, 10G, 100G, or 400G), and throughput verification through go live.
Data Center Interconnect (DCI) in your industry
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions buyers actually ask about data center interconnect (dci), answered plainly.
When should we choose a NaaS fabric like Megaport over a dedicated carrier wavelength or dark fiber for DCI?
Choose a software defined NaaS fabric like Megaport when you need fast turn up (LOA in minutes, cross connect in hours to days), flexible 1 to 36 month terms, or the ability to use the exact same physical ports to reach AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle, and Megaport Internet. Choose a dedicated 100G or 400G carrier wavelength or dark fiber pair when you have two permanent data centers pushing constant line rate traffic 24/7 over a multi year schedule with no need for cloud branching. Obsidian X prices both side by side so you can compare the math.
What does it mean that Megaport's 10G and 100G DCI packages include two unlocked ports?
Traditional point to point circuits lock both ends into a single closed pipe between Building A and Building B. Megaport's 10G and 100G Point to Point DCI packages provision a physical 10G or 100G Port at each data center, link them with a private Layer 2 circuit, and leave both physical ports unlocked so you can still add Virtual Cross Connects to cloud on ramps, Megaport Cloud Router, or Megaport Internet on those same ports.
Which Dallas Fort Worth and Houston data centers have Megaport on ramps?
Per Megaport's public locations API checked October 14, 2026, there are 634 enabled locations globally across 266 US facilities, including 16 in Dallas Fort Worth and 8 in Houston. In Dallas Fort Worth, Equinix DA1 and Digital Realty DFW10 support both Megaport Cloud Router (MCR) and Megaport Virtual Edge (MVE), alongside enabled sites across Equinix, Digital Realty, DataBank, CoreSite, TierPoint, Flexential, CyrusOne, Stack, Cologix, QTS, NTT, Csquare, and Evocative. In Houston, DataBank HOU2 and Netrality Houston support both MCR and MVE alongside DataBank, CyrusOne, TierPoint, TRG, Digital Realty IAH11, Stream, Element Critical, and Switch.
What port speeds are supported for Data Center Interconnect?
Physical fabric ports are available at 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 100 Gbps, and 400 Gbps (in select high capacity metros), while Virtual Cross Connects (VXCs) between ports can be dialed from 1 Mbps up to 100 Gbps in granular increments via web portal, REST API, or Terraform.
How does Megaport Internet work inside a colocation facility?
Instead of ordering a separate physical cross connect and waiting weeks for a traditional ISP circuit inside your colocation rack, you can turn up Megaport Internet as a virtual connection directly on your existing Megaport Port or Virtual Edge. Bandwidth scales on demand from 20 Mbps to 10 Gbps in 1 Mbps increments and can be deployed across two physical diversity zones for redundant blended transit.
How do we achieve true physical path diversity for active active data center links?
Megaport designates independent physical diversity zones (typically blue and red zones with separate switching stacks and fiber entries) inside enabled data centers. We design active active DCI and cloud interconnect topologies by landing primary and secondary ports in separate diversity zones and, when required, pairing a NaaS fabric path with an independent carrier wavelength on a physically diverse fiber route, with no fee for our advisory work and no obligation to buy.
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