Global Routes by Region

IEPL generally refers to an international Ethernet private line. The key difference is that a dedicated link carries traffic across regions, rather than relying entirely on public internet routing. This can reduce the impact of public route changes on that segment, but connections from you to the gateway and from the exit to the destination still depend on their respective networks. A dedicated-line label doesn't mean every website will be faster.

This type of route can suit tasks that rely on continuity, such as ongoing meetings, remote desktops, or long transfers. Dedicated transport resources typically cost more to provision and maintain, and actual performance also depends on gateway location, resource allocation, and the destination service. Test with the apps you use for work, checking audio, video, and session recovery rather than judging by the route name alone.

A relay adds a forwarding gateway between your device and the international exit, sending the connection onward through another network segment. An extra gateway doesn't automatically mean a slower route: if your local network connects to it more effectively, the overall experience may be better than connecting to the exit directly. Conversely, congestion at the gateway or an unsuitable onward path can still cause problems.

Relay routes are worth comparing for everyday browsing, streaming, and general tool access. Costs depend on the gateway, forwarding resources, and exit, so the word “relay” alone doesn't indicate whether a route is expensive. If you experience evening slowdowns, compare different gateways to the same exit region first. Keeping the destination region unchanged makes it easier to tell whether the issue is the route or the content service.

Direct means the client connects to the international exit without an additional relay gateway configured by this service. It doesn't mean the physical path has no routing equipment or that it's geographically shortest. The networks involved still depend on carrier peering, routing policies, and destination access, so the same direct route may perform differently on different local networks.

Direct routes have a simpler structure and can suit cases where your local network already has a good path to the destination region or you want to avoid an extra forwarding hop. They use no additional relay resources, but quality exits and network peering still cost money, so direct routes aren't necessarily cheaper. If the connection is unstable, check your local network first, then compare a relay or dedicated route in the same region instead of repeatedly retrying the same exit.