Market Connectivity Rating, H2 2026

Which cities are probably the most linked, and which of them are the quickest rising for web infrastructure? Which cities are greatest poised to assist AI?

Twice a yr, we make public our evaluation of the highest 10 most linked and fastest-growing cities with our Market Connectivity Rating—an interactive software in our Knowledge Heart Analysis Service. The Market Connectivity Rating tracks 45 completely different information factors for each metropolis, together with:

• Knowledge heart energy,
• Variety of ASNs peering regionally,
• Cloud onramps, and extra.

And people information factors create scores in every class for cities on a scale of 0-100. So with out additional ado, listed here are probably the most linked and quickest rising cities for H2 2026.

Most linked cities: H2 2026

1. London | 60.2
2. Frankfurt | 59.2
3. Tokyo | 57.9
4. Amsterdam | 55.6
5. Singapore | 54.2
6. Washington, DC | 52.2
7. New York | 51.8
8. Paris | 50.5
9. Hong Kong | 50.2
10. Los Angeles, CA | 47.5

Most linked cities, H2 2026 vs. H1 2026

In contrast with the record of most linked cities on this planet for H1 2026, H2 was a remix. The highest 10 cities remained the identical, with a reshuffling of:

London (1), Frankfurt (2), Tokyo (3), Washington, DC (6), New York (7), and Los Angeles (10) held their ranks from H1 2026 to H2 2026.

 

 

Quickest rising cities: H2 2026

The fastest-growing cities rankings are primarily based on the long run development rating—additionally measured on a scale of 1-100—of the highest 200 most linked metro areas.

1. Manila | 32.3
2. Hong Kong | 32.2
3. Amsterdam | 29.8
4. Shenzhen | 27.9
5. Hangzhou | 27.8
6. Columbus, OH | 27.3
7. Singapore | 25.9
8. Cairo | 25.0
9. Dallas, TX | 24.5
10. Atlanta, GA | 23.7

Quickest rising cities, H2 2026 vs. H1 2026

In contrast with the H1 2026 quickest rising cities rankings, the H2 2026 record has a pair newcomers, in addition to a few cities that fell off the record. The Market Connectivity Scores are multifaceted and calculated in line with 9 classes of information, pulling information from a number of TeleGeography merchandise. With all of these inputs, there may be room for reshuffling as market developments around the globe take form.

Let’s check out just a few of the sturdy markets on the quickest rising cities record.

Columbus

Aside from northern Virginia, Columbus, Ohio has probably the most information facilities deliberate for near-term growth of wherever on this planet. Whereas energy is an issue all over the place, Columbus has comparatively quick access to pure fuel for behind-the-meter energy technology, which has vastly aided the area’s ongoing growth.

Main wholesale operators like Stack, Vantage, and QTS are nonetheless increasing quickly in Columbus, together with hyperscalers like Amazon and Meta.

Singapore

Globally, no different market comes near the quantity of subsea infrastructure deliberate for Singapore, with no less than 17 deliberate cables touchdown there.

The drip of information heart growth remains to be gradual, however holders of valuable permits like DayOne, Equinix, and AirTrunk are constructing what they will on this restricted and high-demand market.

Dallas

The Dallas metropolitan market continues to capitalize on the necessity for a powerful regional hub, as heavy growth for AI-focused information facilities faucets into the considerable pure fuel of the Permian Basin in West Texas. Equinix, DataBank, Stack and different operators proceed to construct out new websites throughout the Dallas metro space.

 

 

The place you may get this information

These rankings of the ten most linked and quickest rising cities are fueled by TeleGeography’s Knowledge Heart Analysis Service—probably the most complete supply of intelligence on information heart infrastructure and ecosystems. With the Knowledge Heart Analysis Service, you possibly can:

• Entry our Market Connectivity Rating, a strong software that measures present and potential information heart measurement for 3,000 cities worldwide
• Discover an interactive map depicting practically 6,400 energetic information facilities
• Uncover the place to entry completely different networks, web exchanges, or cloud suppliers
• View information heart website profiles, together with operator contact particulars, megawatt capability, flooring house, and important particulars in regards to the website ecosystem
• Get knowledgeable evaluation of world information heart market traits compiled from over 1,000 website surveys and supplemental analysis
• Entry present and historic colocation pricing information for prime international markets.
  

 

How the Market Connectivity Rating works

In short: the MCS is a software to match and summarize market growth which could be particularly tailor-made to your priorities. It calculates a rating for every market by averaging its relative sub-scores. These are drawn from the info classes described beneath. At any time, chances are you’ll hit the “change weights” button, which helps you to modify how vital every class is to calculating the ultimate rating.

In spite of everything, there is no single reply to which market is the “greatest.” Context is vital. Do not care about web exchanges? Change their weight to zero. Want entry to cloud infrastructure? Increase its weight to the utmost. The scores will modify accordingly, displaying crucial markets in your state of affairs.

Knowledge classes

The MCS analyzes 9 broad classes of information, seven of that are derived straight from TeleGeography datasets. Curiously, these indicators pull not solely from the Knowledge Heart Analysis Service, however different TeleGeography merchandise as nicely. Right here, we’ll present a quick abstract of every class, its supply, and the way it impacts Market Connectivity Scores:

Knowledge facilities

This information group tells us how a market fares in terms of provisioning information heart infrastructure in assist of the native communications market. It’s all about information heart capability in deployment and within the pipeline. Pulling from our intensive Knowledge Heart Analysis Service, the general information heart rating is derived from combination market capability in place, numbers of web sites, and websites in deployment.

One of many sub-categories right here is “Knowledge Facilities Deliberate.” The scoring right here particularly tracks new information heart websites which are actively in deployment. It does not embrace expansions to current amenities or land financial institution purchases; simply the place new buildings are below development and because of launch inside the subsequent few years.

Web exchanges

Web Alternate (IX) presence and exercise is a good indicator of communications market well being, and one we analysis within the Knowledge Heart Analysis Service. Scores for ASNs linked and the variety of IXs out there inform us what number of networks and platforms are current. These scores additionally tell us whether or not the native market is overly depending on an incumbent operator. Extra networks at extra peering places signifies higher native competitiveness. One different measure on this class is the proportion of ASNs which are worldwide. This offers an early indication of whether or not worldwide carriers see the market as a invaluable place to deploy.

Pricing

Pulling from our Community Pricing Database this information group provides a basic indicator of the price of connecting in a market. Low scores point out greater prices, which improve boundaries to market entry and exercise.

Cloud infrastructure

This rating class pulls from numerous information units in our Cloud and WAN Infrastructure Service. It tells us the extent to which cloud purposes could be delivered regionally. Clients entry cloud providers through onramps, which then give them devoted entry to platforms saved both in large cloud zone information heart constellations or in smaller native cloud zones with extra restricted choices. We monitor all of those right here. We additionally embrace CDNs on this record—the caches that enable content material to be delivered regionally.

Inside this broader information group, we monitor cloud areas deliberate. This indicator tracks introduced, however not but operational, cloud areas. Some have for much longer lag instances to deployment than others.

Lengthy-distance transport

A number of TeleGeography metrics are tied into this broad class. Worldwide web capability and depend of straight linked cities are pulled from our IP Networks analysis. These are nice indicators of how nicely a given market is built-in into international networks. In some instances, this measure enforces, together with information heart growth, the rising or persevering with significance of a market. In different instances, it could remind us {that a} market nonetheless has significance as a community hub regardless of slower development in information heart rollouts.

Subsequent, current and deliberate submarine cables are tracked in our Transport Networks analysis. The variety of energetic and deliberate subsea cables additional implement a market’s place on wider intra-regional or intercontinental levels. In fact, landlocked cities don’t have any use for subsea metrics, however the final elements on this class—numbers of long-haul and WAN carriers current from our Cloud and WAN Infrastructure Service—make up the distinction. Right here we will see how sturdy the competitors is for entry to the skin world—each for native carriers and for enterprises.

Native entry

This network-specific information group reveals us how massive the fastened broadband market is and the way a lot of the cell market has broadband-level entry. Even when the peering and transport infrastructure is missing in a given location, excessive broadband utilization is a transparent indicator of want for community assist infrastructure. This information is drawn largely from TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database.

Energy

In at this time’s connectivity markets, no commodity is extra valuable than energy. Lots of the world’s most crucial communication hubs are affected by a full-blown disaster in lack of electrical energy to assist information heart, cloud, and community wants. This disaster comes at a time when governments around the globe are pushing to scale back dependence on fossil fuels and improve utilization of fresh energy, which is much more scarce. This information group within the MCS makes use of information from the International Vitality Monitor to rank cities by their present and deliberate availability of fresh energy.

Geography & demographics

This class offers bigger macro indicators for every metropolis that point out relative potential for communications market growth. Many of the particular person measures right here come straight from TeleGeography, except for International 5000 Database information, which reveals us the variety of main companies with headquarters in a given metropolis. One of many metrics right here provides an intriguing view of how comparatively a given metropolis is pulled into the orbit of or impartial from different hubs. The measure, “Remoteness from Different Hubs” tells us how the town’s Lengthy-Distance Transport rating compares to different cities in a 100-km radius.

Rules & governance

This remaining class is derived from the World Financial institution’s Worldwide Governance Indicators. It offers a way of how risky or reliable an area working surroundings could also be by measuring rule of legislation, regulation, stability, and freedom of voice.