IPC Systems, a leading provider of voice and electronic trading communications solutions to the world's top financial services firms and global enterprises, today announced that CME Group Inc. (CME Group) has added the IPC Financial Markets Network as an Approved Telecommunication Service Provider for CME Group's state-of-the-art data centre in Aurora, Illinois. CME Group is the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace.
IPC is providing access to CME Group's Co-location facility through its Direct Connect, a global service connecting financial market participants and engineered to ensure path diversity and maximum efficiency. Direct Connect provides capital market participants access to the CME Group data centre through secure, flexible, transparent and native ethernet connectivity over an enhanced delivery platform.
The CME Group data centre in Aurora, Illinois is more than 428,000 square feet and supports customer telecommunication requirements with multiple diverse entrances, redundant carrier rooms and flexibility in architecture.
"Chicago is one of the world's leading centres for trading derivatives, and we are seeing increased demand for proximity hosting and telecommunications services at key liquidity centres in the area," said William Rhode, Principal, Director of Fixed Income, TABB Group. "A connectivity provider with a global footprint and deep knowledge of the requirements of derivative traders can help facilitate the generation of alpha and the capture of liquidity at the best available prices."
"IPC is exclusively focused on the capital markets and is committed to providing industry leading, value-added communications solutions for traders," said Joe Pickel, vice president, Network Services Product Management, IPC. "Both the listed and over-the-counter derivatives trading environment are extremely demanding and a connectivity provider that offers global reach and superior customer service brings a significant competitive advantage for market participants."
Direct Connect is part of the IPC Financial Markets Network service portfolio which also includes the Connexus Financial Extranet Service, Trader Voice and Enhanced Voice Services. IPC's Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centres and allows access to more than 4,000 market participant locations in over 700 cities in nearly 60 countries. Direct Connect supports a number of industry standard and trading protocols.