Pico Expands Private, Proprietary Low-Latency Network Across Major Data Centers

PicoThe firm is a service provider and a licensed market data vendor of record, sourcing raw market data directly from a venue’s lowest-latency and highest-bandwidth handoffs. Currently covering 35
data centers, Pico plans to add 16 more globally dispersed data centers in the next 14 months.

Pico, a leading infrastructure, connectivity, cloud technology, data and analytics services provider has launched its global connectivity ring, thus promoting the expansion of its private, proprietary network to the major financial data centers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The network, which goes by the name of PicoNet, provides low-latency connectivity to hundreds of liquidity sources, information providers and counterparties, delivering market data and point-to-point connectivity between all of the key financial data centers worldwide through its diverse subsea networks, cable landing stations, and terrestrial network POPs, including NY4, LD4, and TY3 (delivering EMEA, the Americas, and APAC regional meshes).

Roland Hamann, Managing Director at Pico, commented:

“Our state-of-the-art global ring is the first of its kind to combine carrier-grade connectivity with the cost-effective scale and resiliency our clients require. Now, every client has direct access to
global markets including our high-quality market data sets.”

Pico has deployed network performance monitoring and analytics via Corvil Analytics to provide industry-leading transparency and operational metrics.

The firm’s global connectivity network gives Tier 1 banks, broker-dealers, assets managers, hedge funds, proprietary, and electronic trading firms the ability to pass data between major financial centers and execute trades in microseconds to gain a competitive edge in FX and all other asset classes as the platform extends across 35 data centers covering over 200 exchanges and trading venues worldwide.

Pico’s outsourced solution, which leverages its expansive network, exchange, and market data connectivity services, includes offering a single-hop solution where clients can connect trading servers through a collapsed architecture via a single co-located Pico switch, receiving market data and sending orders at the lowest possible latency. This solution is currently available at data centers in Basildon (ICE) in the UK, Frankfurt (Eurex/Xetra) and CH1 (ICE) in Chicago, accessible in about 380 nanoseconds.