After a slight decline in 2024, internet traffic at the Belgian internet exchange point BNIX rose sharply again last year. With an average traffic volume of 288 gigabits per second and a peak of 642 Gbit/s, 2025 was an absolute record year. Another striking observation is the return of the summer holiday dip, after being (temporarily) absent, and the fact that weekday traffic shows a stronger-than-ever plateau from early morning until late in the evening.
The average internet traffic at BNIX, which is managed by Belnet, reached 288 Gbit/s in 2025. This represents an increase of 19% compared to 2024 and is still 7% higher than the previous record of 270 Gbit/s set in 2023. Peak traffic levels noteably increased as well. On 10 December, the platform recorded a midday peak of no less than 642 Gbit/s.
“Never before has so much data traffic been exchanged via the Belgian internet exchange point in a single second,” explains Frédéric Libotte, Senior Relationship Manager at BNIX. “We also observed several other peaks above 600 Gbit/s around the end of September and the beginning of October, possibly linked to the start of the academic year. The cause of the record peak on 10 December is harder to pinpoint. The general growth in traffic aligns with the ever-increasing data consumption by organisations and consumers, combined with continuously rising internet speeds.”
Summer dip returns
The return of the summer dip and the continued expansion of the weekday ‘high plateau’ also stand out. Frédéric Libotte adds: “We already suspected that the absence of a summer dip in 2024 was linked to a busy sports summer, and we now see that confirmed. In the summer of 2025, there was once again a classic decline in data traffic, similar to what we see during the Christmas holidays. This also illustrates how significant the share of work-related traffic has become: as soon as the business world slows down, internet traffic follows.”
On weekdays, the ‘high plateau’ trend continues to intensify, with high traffic volumes from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m., peaking between 10 a.m. and noon. “Traffic levels are generally lower at weekends, with a peak around 7:30 p.m., when many people relax by streaming or watching digital TV.”
Ready for the future
The smooth performance of both private and professional internet traffic for end users has been made possible for more than 30 years thanks to the BNIX platform. To ensure that this quality of experience is maintained in the coming years, Belnet completely renewed BNIX in 2025. Stefan Gulinck, Network Architect at BNIX, explains: “This upgrade means that the scalable platform is already prepared for future internet traffic peaks, including the potential impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence on data flows.”
In 2025, BNIX also welcomed seven new participants: BT-CNS, Devrandom, Digital Realty DE, SmartEye, Team Blue, Packet Clearing House (PCH) and China Telecom. In total, 78 participants now use the BNIX platform to route their local traffic faster and more efficiently.