Enrique Ortegon
A closer look at how the ecosystem consolidated at a single, carrier-neutral core.
As of January 2026, all the network operators active in McAllen interconnect with MDC, and the ecosystem now centers at MCA2 (422 S 11th St). This carrier-neutral site is the physical point where ISPs, carriers, content providers, and Mexico-facing networks meet to thrive.
The market signal, clarified: operator announcements and observed routing converge on one core—MCA2—aligning cross-border paths and metro PoPs at a single, carrier-neutral site.
Historically, cross-border routes and metro reach were split across multiple rooms; since the second half of 2025, operators have been consolidating at MCA2, reducing architectural detours and day-to-day complexity. This consolidation includes multiple ecosystem participants and has continued into early 2026. Among the public milestones: Axtel’s full consolidation, International Fiber Crossings (IFCs) landing at MCA2, and Bestel’s planned exit from the legacy building to MCA2.
What changed — a brief timeline
- H2 2025 → early 2026: McAllen’s ecosystem consolidated progressively at MCA2, as multiple operators completed migrations and turn-ups at the core. During this period, participants such as GTT, Sparkle, TATA, Telefónica, TotalPlay, and Vívaro (among others) aligned interconnection at the same neutral site.
- Notable operator moves:
- Axtel publicly confirms full consolidation at MCA2 with dark-fiber IFCs landing at the core—removing split topology across sites.
- Bestel announces consolidation at MCA2 and exit from the legacy Chase building (completion targeted Q1 2026).
In total, 38 networks now center on MCA2, a density pattern consistent with the ecosystem’s shift to one neutral core (with 100% of McAllen networks colocated with MDC and over 80% operating directly from MCA2). The ecosystem signals confidence in MDC’s role as a trusted advisor and in a single, neutral interconnection core.
Operational implications (planner’s view)
- Shorter paths, fewer handoffs: With IFCs and metro reach centered at MCA2, cross-town backhaul drops; latency and jitter are easier to control.
- Same-site provisioning: Cross-connects, upgrades, and peering move from multi-site projects to same-site changes—cutting time and coordination overhead.
- Predictable resilience: Diverse cross-border routes anchored at one core simplify failover design and testing.
- Planning clarity: With major metro PoPs tied into the same hub, capacity adds and migrations follow a clearer playbook.
- Example: Metro PoP changes that previously required dual-site coordination now resolve through a same-site cross-connect at MCA2, shortening provisioning windows and reducing truck rolls.
Location truth
True interconnection hub: MCA2 (422 S 11th St), McAllen. Cross-border routes and metro PoPs meet in one carrier-neutral site—community-proven density at a single address.
MCA2 is a purpose-built, carrier-neutral facility; consolidations by operators like Axtel and Bestel helped remove split topologies and align cross-border landings at a single site—simplifying transport and peering architectures.
MDC acts as a trusted advisrR, integrating cross-border connectivity and designing smart interconnections. That means deliberate topology choices, the right peers and routes, diverse paths, and clean handoffs with clear observability and change control—so latency stays steady, turn-ups move faster, and resilience holds under load.
