In a strategic move to enhance connectivity between the United States and Mexico, Arelion has unveiled a new terabit-scale cross-border fibre route that marks the establishment of its first point of presence (PoP) in Tijuana, Mexico. This development is part of a broader effort to capitalize on the burgeoning technology market in the Baja California region, a hub of investment and innovation.
Strategic Infrastructure Expansion
Arelion’s new route signals a significant expansion of its fibre network, as it connects the newly established Tijuana PoP with two existing PoPs in San Diego, California. This marks Arelion’s tenth regional PoP in Mexico, enhancing its infrastructure to provide essential connectivity to major tech hubs. The route will facilitate dual connections from San Diego to both Phoenix and Los Angeles, transforming the network landscape in the region.
This expansion is timely, coinciding with extensive investments by local fibre providers in Tijuana and the adjacent city of Mexicali. There is a notable boom occurring in these areas due to technological advancements and the introduction of new sea cable developments, such as the Bifrost Cable System, which connects key locations including Singapore and the Philippines to the United States and Mexico.
Driving Economic Growth
The driving force behind this infrastructure expansion is the growth of essential sectors such as automotive, medical supply, aerospace, and electronics manufacturing. According to reports, over 55 aerospace and defense companies, along with 122 electronics manufacturing firms, are already operating in Tijuana. Investment in the region’s industrial space is also booming, with real estate developers allocating approximately $635 million to build 5.3 million square feet of industrial facilities.
Arelion’s new fibre route is designed to bolster the connectivity options for edge users in Mexico, supplying reliable access to its extensive ecosystem of cloud services, content delivery, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The introduction of this route promises to enhance diversity and resiliency for Arelion’s existing customers while providing low-latency connections to new clients within Mexico. Utilizing the latest technology, including 400G coherent pluggable optics, the network is set to provide substantial capacity and speed improvements.
Unmatched Connectivity Solutions
With this latest expansion, Arelion enhances its customers’ access to a global internet backbone and a wide array of connectivity options, which includes scalable IP Transit, Wavelengths, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), Cloud Connect, and DDoS Mitigation services. This robust portfolio caters to service providers, content distributors, and enterprises, solidifying Arelion’s position in the competitive telecommunications market.
In addition to the new Tijuana PoP, Arelion maintains a network of existing facilities across Mexico, including locations in San Luis Potosi, Querétaro, Mexico City, Mérida, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. These strategically placed PoPs support a diverse range of customers and leverage state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate enhanced connectivity.
Resilience Through Fiber Infrastructure
The fibre construction of the new route is entirely underground, which Arelion claims enhances both scalability and availability. This setup is particularly advantageous for wholesale and enterprise customers who demand high-speed, terabit-scale connectivity to the technology markets in the U.S. By investing in robust fiber infrastructure, Arelion aims to empower local service providers in Mexico and grant them direct access to major content providers located in Southern California.
“This new cross-border route allows us to support Mexico’s ongoing economic growth and digital innovation amid the continued rise of AI and cloud applications, proving instrumental in serving customers in diverse sectors across the main cities in Baja California,” remarked Edison De Leon, Arelion’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
This new infrastructure strategy is expected to significantly increase data traffic flows from Mexico into San Diego, leveraging terabit-scale capacities and offering fully diverse Tier-1 services for cross-border connectivity. This initiative not only reinforces Arelion’s commitment to enhancing digital infrastructure in the region but highlights its role as a key player in supporting Mexico’s expanding digital economy.
In April 2025, Arelion announced another network expansion aimed at connecting its PoP at KIO QRO1 in Querétaro to additional PoPs in Mexico City. This move is indicative of the rapidly growing datacentre sector, which is crucial for supporting Mexico’s manufacturing and information and communication technology (ICT) industries. Arelion is responding to the overwhelming demand for terabit-scale capacities, cementing its status as a vital player in the expanding connectivity landscape.