MDC Newsroom
[BROWNSVILLE, TX] – [July 15th, 2026] – MDC Data Centers, the leading provider of carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection services along the U.S.-Mexico border, today announced a new International Fiber Crossing (IFC) in Brownsville, Texas, connecting the United States to Mexico at the southernmost point of Texas. This addition brings MDC’s total to ten active International Fiber Crossings across seven border markets, further strengthening the BorderConnect Platform™ and extending carrier-neutral cross-border fiber infrastructure to the Gulf Coast.
Brownsville: Connecting the Gulf Coast to Matamoros
In Brownsville, known for its strategic position at the southernmost tip of the Rio Grande Valley, the new International Fiber Crossing represents a significant milestone in US-Mexico connectivity. The crossing is 100% underground and engineered to meet the specific demands of a border crossing through one of the most commercially active corridors in South Texas.
The infrastructure consists of a 144-strand single-mode fiber optic cable (G.652D, armored loose tube, Prysmian) deployed across two segments: a 604-foot international crossing beneath the Rio Grande via Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) at a minimum depth of 25 feet below the riverbed, and a 4,269-foot underground local loop connecting to the crossing point. The conduit system is built on a 4-inch HDPE main duct housing three 1-inch innerducts for the international segment, and three 1¼-inch HDPE SDR 11 ducts for the terrestrial loop, both at a minimum burial depth of 5 feet. The crossing originates at a handhole near a FiberLight facility in Brownsville and terminates at a manhole in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
Aerial schematic view of MDC’s new International Fiber Crossing route in Brownsville, Texas — from the Brownsville handhole (HH 03) through an underground local loop and beneath the Rio Grande to the MDC manhole (MDC MH) in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Brownsville establishes itself as a new and geographically distinct interconnection point at the southern end of the Texas-Mexico border. For digital network operators and carriers, this crossing introduces a third physically separate route that does not share infrastructure or risk with the existing crossings at McAllen and Laredo. Traffic that belongs at the Gulf Coast no longer needs to route north to find a carrier-neutral crossing.
For a deeper look at the market forces behind this crossing and the broader infrastructure story of the Brownsville-Matamoros corridor, read: Brownsville’s Moment: The Making of the Gulf Coast’s Next Cross-Border Connectivity Gateway.
Strengthening the BorderConnect Platform™
With the addition of Brownsville, MDC Data Centers’ BorderConnect Platform™ now spans the full length of the U.S.-Mexico border, from San Diego and Nogales in the west to McAllen and Brownsville at the Gulf Coast. Each crossing follows the same model: self-owned, licensed infrastructure at the physical layer; carrier-neutral access with no competing lit services; and direct connectivity into an ecosystem of 62+ carriers and networks accessible through MDC’s BorderConnect Platform™.
The decision to build in Brownsville was informed directly by the needs of existing MDC customers. Multiple operators in the BorderConnect Platform™ ecosystem had identified the Gulf Coast as a gap in their cross-border redundancy strategy; traffic serving the Brownsville-Matamoros corridor was being routed through McAllen or Laredo, adding unnecessary distance and latency. MDC’s investment in Brownsville reflects a deliberate approach to infrastructure development: listening to where real network demand exists before committing capital, and building ahead of the moment rather than after it.
‘This crossing was built in response to real demand from our customers. Operators serving the Gulf Coast had a clear need for a geographically distinct, carrier-neutral crossing in this corridor, not as a primary route, but as the redundancy anchor their cross-border architectures were missing. Brownsville fills that gap, and it does so on the same neutral terms that define every crossing in our portfolio.’
— Joel Pacheco, Chief Revenue Officer, MDC Data Centers
With the Brownsville crossing now active, MDC Data Centers continues to lead in providing secure, carrier-neutral, and strategically located cross-border connectivity solutions. Our commitment to building at the right locations, ahead of when the market needs it, reflects our vision of creating connections that empower operators, communities, and the broader binational economy to thrive.
About MDC Data Centers
MDC Data Centers is an interconnection platform that enables and orchestrates how networks connect across Mexico and the U.S. border. Operating through an actively neutral ecosystem, MDC goes beyond the data center infrastructure to facilitate the connections that matter most, bringing together carriers, content providers, and hyperscalers in a high-trust environment where interconnection becomes seamless and scalable.
With over 15 years of experience at the region’s most critical network exchange points, from border hubs to core metros and emerging landing sites, MDC combines strategic data center infrastructure with human expertise to turn connectivity into opportunity. This approach powers MDC’s platform, where interconnection is not just available, but orchestrated to drive growth, performance, and collaboration across networks, markets, and industries.
For more information visit: mdcdatacenters.com or follow MDC Data Centers on LinkedIn and X at @mdcdatacenters
