Accelerate your Cloud Strategy with Megaport’s 25 Gbps Hosted AWS Direct Connect

This post is published in collaboration with Chris Cabel, Senior Director, Global Cloud Solutions at Megaport.

As enterprises migrate mission-critical workloads to the cloud, network performance has become a fundamental business requirement. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect provides dedicated network connections between on-premises data centers and AWS. This bypasses the public internet to deliver more reliable and consistent network performance with reduced latency. The introduction of 25 Gbps hosted connections fills a gap between 10 Gbps (often insufficient) and 100 Gbps (typically excessive) options, enabling organizations to right-size connectivity without compromising performance. Megaport, a leading Network as a Service (NaaS) provider and an AWS Marketplace partner, is among the first to offer these 25 Gbps connections across a wide range of Direct Connect Edge Locations through its global Software Defined Network, which spans hundreds of data centers worldwide. For the latest coverage, refer to Magaport’s public network footprint page.

Using Megaport’s self-service platform, organizations can provision, scale, and manage high-performance AWS connectivity in minutes rather than weeks or months. In this post, we describe how this powerful combination of AWS and Megaport offerings enable cloud architects and IT leaders to build next-generation hybrid networks that support data-intensive applications, enhance security, and optimize costs—all while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as business needs evolve.

Prerequisites

We assume that you are familiar with core networking constructs on AWS, particularly Direct Connect. Although we do not delve into defining it, we highlight its roles in supporting hybrid connectivity architectures involving Direct Connect hosted connections. If you’re new to these concepts, then we recommend reviewing the Direct Connect documentation for choosing between Direct Connect dedicated and hosted connections.

For foundational knowledge, the Getting Started with AWS Direct Connect guide is also a helpful resource.

Key use cases for 25 Gbps Direct Connect

The following sections walk through the key use cases for 25 Gbps Direct Connect.

1. Cloud Migration

Large-scale enterprise migrations involve transferring massive datasets. 25 Gbps hosted connections allow organizations to reduce migration windows from days to hours while maintaining secure, consistent performance. A 100 TB database migration that would take 22+ hours with a 10 Gbps connection can be completed in approximately 9 hours, dramatically accelerating time to production.

Table 1: Bandwidth effects on large-scale data migration

2. Data Movement

Organizations collecting data from edge locations or on-premises environments benefit from predictable, high-throughput connections for analytics, backup, and archival workloads. Media companies can efficiently transfer large video files between editing suites and AWS, while healthcare organizations can move imaging datasets to the cloud for AI analysis while maintaining compliance through private connectivity. The 25 Gbps tier is particularly valuable for internet of things (IoT) deployments generating high volumes of sensor data, large-scale backup operations with aggressive Recovery Point Objective (RPO) requirements, and organizations training machine learning (ML) models with substantial on-premises datasets.

3. Hybrid Cloud Support

As hybrid architectures become more common, reliable connectivity between on-premises systems and AWS is essential. Megaport’s 25 Gbps hosted connections deliver the capacity needed for distributed databases, hybrid storage solutions, and microservices that span environments. Organizations can implement consistent security policies and seamless application experiences across their entire technology stack while maintaining the performance headroom needed for peak workload periods and future growth.

4. Latency-Sensitive Applications

Applications such as financial trading platforms, autonomous systems, and real-time collaboration tools rely on minimal latency. Dedicated 25 Gbps connections maintain consistent low-latency performance by bypassing the public internet while providing sufficient bandwidth to prevent congestion during peak periods. For industries where milliseconds matter—such as high-frequency trading, online gaming, or telemedicine—the predictable performance of Direct Connect provides a competitive advantage while maintaining security through private connectivity.

5. Cost Control

The 25 Gbps tier offers a cost-effective way to scale network capacity without overprovisioning. Organizations previously forced to choose between insufficient 10 Gbps connections or excessive 100 Gbps links can now choose the optimal balance point, typically saving 50-60% as compared to 100 Gbps options. Megaport’s flexible platform also allows businesses to adjust bandwidth as needs change, supporting cost optimization throughout the application lifecycle while still delivering the performance needed for modern cloud workloads.

Benefits of implementing 25 Gbps AWS Direct Connect with Megaport

The following sections walk through the benefits of implementing 25 Gbps Direct Connect with Megaport.

1. Private, Secure Data Transfer

Megaport’s hosted connections provide a private pathway to AWS that bypasses the public internet, enhancing data privacy, reducing exposure to common security threats, and making sure of compliance for sensitive workloads. This private connectivity is increasingly crucial as regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and industry-specific requirements impose stricter controls on data movement and protection. The 25 Gbps tier delivers this security without compromising on the performance needed for modern data-intensive applications.

2. Ease of Use

Megaport’s self-service portal allows customers to provision, scale, and manage their Direct Connect connections in minutes. This agility helps teams adapt quickly to changing project needs without the overhead of manual provisioning cycles. Organizations can establish connections to AWS Regions in near real-time rather than waiting weeks or months for traditional telecom circuits, thus accelerating cloud initiatives and reducing time-to-value for new projects.

3. Global Accessibility

Megaport’s presence in over 975 data centers across more than 26 countries allows it to offer near-ubiquitous access to Direct Connect locations. Organizations with distributed footprints can standardize on a consistent connectivity approach across AWS Regions, streamlining architecture and operations while maintaining high performance. This global coverage is particularly valuable for multinational enterprises implementing follow-the-sun operations or organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements.

4. Flexibility and Scalability

As demand grows, customers can adjust bandwidth dynamically through the Megaport portal. This flexibility allows IT teams to scale cost-effectively while maintaining optimal performance for critical workloads. The 25 Gbps tier provides an ideal middle ground that can be implemented as a long-term solution or as a stepping stone in a broader cloud networking strategy.

Getting started with AWS and Megaport with 25 Gbps hosted connection

The following sections walk you through using AWS and Megaport with 25 Gbps hosted connection.

Prerequisites:

The following prerequisites are necessary to follow this solution:

1. An active Megaport account with billing enabled.
2. An AWS account with access to Direct Connect.

Step 1: Create a Megaport MCR

1. Log in to the Megaport Portal.
2. Select +Add Service and choose MCR (Megaport Cloud Router) as shown in Figure 1. Make sure that the MCR supports a minimum capacity of 25 Gbps, because this determines the maximum connection speed available for your hosted connection.
   

   Figure 1: Create MCR in Megaport

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. More details can be found in the Creating MCR Documentation.

Step 2: Create a hosted connection from Megaport to AWS

1. In the Megaport Portal, select your MCR and click + Add Connection.
2. Choose AWS Direct Connect from the Cloud options.
3. Provide the necessary details and follow the instructions:
   • Creating a Hosted Connection as shown in Figure 2.
   • Connection Name: a descriptive name for your connection.
   • Service Level Reference: provide a unique identifier for billing or tracking purposes.
   • Rate Limit: set this to 25,000 Mbps to provision a 25 Gbps connection.
4. Submit and deploy the connection.

Figure 2: Create hosted connection in Megaport

You can also create Hosted VIFs and other types of connections (for example Public VIF, Transit VIF), depending on your use case.

Step 3: Accept the Hosted Connection in AWS

1. Log in to the AWS Console and go to AWS Direct Connect.
2. In the navigation pane, choose Connections.
3. Select the hosted connection and choose View details.
4. Select the confirmation check box and choose Accept.

Step 4: Create Virtual Interface for hosted connection:

1. After accepting the connection, choose it and choose Create Virtual Interface as shown in Figure 3.
2. Choose the interface type – typically Private for access to VPCs.
3. Configure the following:
   • Virtual Interface Name.
   • VLAN ID (must match the VLAN used in the Megaport configuration).
   • BGP ASN (yours or AWS default).
   • BGP Peer IP addresses (AWS provides one side; you assign your side).
4. Gateway Association: Choose the Virtual Private Gateway or AWS Transit Gateway attached to your VPC.
5. Choose Create.

Figure 3: Create Virtual Interface in AWS

Step 5: Configure BGP on Megaport MCR

1. Go back to the Megaport Portal.
2. Edit the Virtual Cross Connect (VXC) to match the BGP details provided by AWS.
3. Figure 4 shows the information you need to enter:
   • BGP Peer IPs (yours and that of AWS).
   • Your ASN (or AWS-assigned ASN).
4. Save and apply the configuration.

Figure 4: Configure BGP in Megaport

Conclusion

In this post, we explored how AWS Direct Connect 25 Gbps hosted connections through Megaport can transform your cloud connectivity strategy. We covered essential use cases such as large-scale cloud migrations, data-intensive applications, hybrid cloud deployments, and latency-sensitive workloads. You learned how this solution delivers private, secure data transfer with the flexibility to scale, while offering significant cost savings as compared to 100 Gbps alternatives. We also walked through the step-by-step process of setting up a 25 Gbps hosted connection using Megaport’s self-service platform.

Call to Action:

• Evaluate your current and future network throughput requirements.
• Explore 25 Gbps hosted Direct Connect options on the AWS Direct Connect Partners page.
• Visit Megaport’s AWS solution page to learn more or get started with self-service provisioning.

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