AWS Interconnect - last mile: Megaport preview explained
AWS put Interconnect - last mile into preview with Megaport. Four inputs and an activation key replace manual BGP, VLAN and ASN setup. Here is what changes for you.
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The announcement
On October 22, 2026, AWS put a new connectivity service into preview called AWS Interconnect - last mile. It is built with Megaport, and it lets you connect a branch office, a data center or a remote site to AWS over a private, high-speed link from the AWS Management Console. You pick a Region, a bandwidth, your Direct Connect Gateway ID and a partner subscriber ID. AWS hands you an activation key, and Megaport finishes the provisioning.
The part AWS is selling is what you no longer do by hand. Capacity is pre-provisioned, and BGP peering, VLAN configuration and ASN assignment are automated. The preview is live in two metros, San Jose (us-west-1) and N. Virginia (us-east-1), and you can create a preview Interconnect from the Console, the CLI or the API.
Key takeaways
- AWS Interconnect - last mile entered preview on October 22, 2026, built with Megaport.
- Setup needs four inputs: AWS Region, bandwidth, Direct Connect Gateway ID and partner subscriber ID. An activation key completes it with Megaport.
- BGP peering, VLAN configuration and ASN assignment are automated, and capacity is pre-provisioned.
- At GA, AWS says you will scale bandwidth from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps in the Console. The service is backed by a 99.99% SLA with zero down-time maintenance.
- Megaport brings 1,200+ enabled data centers across 31 countries. The preview covers 2 metros: San Jose and N. Virginia.
What is AWS Interconnect - last mile?
It is a fully managed way to get a private network connection from a physical location you own into AWS.
The "last mile" in the name is the stretch between your building and the cloud. That stretch has always needed someone who knows routing, plus coordination between your team, AWS and a network partner. AWS is putting it behind a form in its own Console.
Megaport is the network on the other side. AWS describes it as operating one of the world's largest Software Defined Networks, with more than 1,200 enabled data centers across 31 countries. AWS calls the whole thing a milestone collaboration between the two companies.
So in plain words: AWS handles the cloud end, Megaport handles the physical path, and the configuration between them is generated for you.
How does the setup actually work?
From the announcement, the flow has three steps.
- You fill in four fields in the AWS Management Console. Your preferred AWS Region, the bandwidth speed, your Direct Connect Gateway ID and your partner subscriber ID.
- AWS generates an activation key. This is the handoff point.
- The key completes provisioning with Megaport. The connection comes up on capacity that was already set aside.
That is the whole user-facing surface. The fields AWS asks for tell you something useful too. A Direct Connect Gateway ID is required, so this service sits on top of the Direct Connect model rather than replacing it. If you have never created a Direct Connect Gateway, that is your first piece of homework.
You do not have to use the Console. AWS says you can create a preview Interconnect through the CLI or the API as well, which matters if your network lives in infrastructure as code.
Why does this matter to a developer?
Because the network has usually been the slowest part of any hybrid project, and it was rarely the developer's call.
If you have worked on an app that needs to talk to a database in an office server room, a factory system, or an old on-premises service that nobody wants to move, you know the pattern. The code is ready. Then the private link stalls, because someone has to agree on VLANs, pick ASNs and set up BGP sessions on both ends.
Those three items are exactly what AWS says it now automates:
- BGP peering, the routing session that tells each side which networks live on the other.
- VLAN configuration, which separates your traffic on a shared physical link.
- ASN assignment, the identifier each side uses in that routing session.
A mistake in any one of them can leave you with a link that exists but carries no traffic. Taking them off your plate removes a common reason a hybrid launch slips.
There is a second reason it matters. A form with four fields is something a developer or a platform team can own. It moves private connectivity a little closer to how you already treat compute and storage: something you request, not something you file a ticket for and wait on.
What changes in practice?
Here is who does what in the preview, based only on what the announcement says.
| Step | Who handles it |
|---|---|
| Choose Region, bandwidth, Direct Connect Gateway ID, partner subscriber ID | You, in the Console, CLI or API |
| Generate the activation key | AWS |
| Complete connectivity provisioning | Megaport, using the activation key |
| BGP peering, VLAN configuration, ASN assignment | Automated |
| Capacity | Pre-provisioned |
| Scale bandwidth from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps | You, in the Console, at GA |
| Maintenance | Zero down-time, backed by a 99.99% SLA |
Three things in that table deserve a closer look.
Bandwidth scaling is a GA promise, not a preview feature. AWS says "at GA, customers will also be able to dynamically scale bandwidth from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps." Do not plan a preview test around resizing a live link, because the announcement does not say you can do that yet.
The 99.99% SLA is the headline availability number. AWS pairs it with zero down-time maintenance and says the service is designed for high availability. As with any preview, read the documentation for exactly what the SLA covers before you rely on it.
Partners get an open API package. AWS says partners can adopt the service through a published open API package on GitHub. Megaport is the launch partner and the only one the announcement names today. A published package for partners reads like an invitation for others, but nothing beyond Megaport has been announced.
Who should care about this preview right now?
Not everyone. Be honest about whether this is your problem.
You should pay attention if:
- You run workloads in us-west-1 or us-east-1 and have offices or data centers that need a private path to them.
- You already use, or plan to use, a Direct Connect Gateway.
- Your team has delayed a hybrid project because nobody owns the network setup.
- You support branch offices or remote locations that need private connectivity to AWS.
You can probably wait if you are fully cloud native with no physical sites, or your Regions sit outside the two preview metros. In that second case, watch for GA, because Megaport's footprint of 1,200+ data centers in 31 countries is far wider than the two preview metros.
What should you do this week?
If you fit the list above, here is a short, practical plan.
- Map your sites to the two metros. Write down which of your offices or data centers are near San Jose or N. Virginia, and which AWS Region each workload uses. If none line up, bookmark the announcement and stop here.
- Check for a Direct Connect Gateway. It is one of the four required inputs. If you do not have one, find out who in your organisation would create it, and do that first.
- Sort out your partner subscriber ID. It is another required input. Check the documentation for where it comes from before you start the flow.
- Read the docs and pricing pages before you click anything. The announcement links to both. It gives no prices itself, so do not assume the preview is free or that GA pricing will match it.
- Decide Console or code. If your network is managed in code, try the CLI or API path, so your test matches how you would run it in production.
- Pick one non-critical site for a test. A preview is for learning how the activation key flow behaves and how long provisioning takes in your setup. Measure it, and compare that against your last private link project.
Keep a short log as you go: time to provision, anything that failed, and what you had to ask the network team for anyway. That log is what you will use to argue for or against moving production when GA lands.
FAQ
What is AWS Interconnect - last mile?
It is a fully managed AWS connectivity service, built with Megaport, that connects branch offices, data centers and remote locations to AWS over private, high-speed links. You set it up in the AWS Management Console, CLI or API. It went into preview on October 22, 2026.
Which regions support the AWS Interconnect - last mile preview?
The preview is available in the San Jose (us-west-1) and N. Virginia (us-east-1) metros through Megaport. Megaport's wider network spans 1,200+ enabled data centers across 31 countries, but the announcement only lists those two metros for the preview.
Do I still need to configure BGP and VLANs myself?
According to AWS, no. The service automates BGP peering, VLAN configuration and ASN assignment, and it pre-provisions capacity. You supply a Region, bandwidth, Direct Connect Gateway ID and partner subscriber ID, and AWS generates an activation key to finish provisioning with Megaport.
How much bandwidth can I get, and what is the SLA?
AWS says that at general availability you will be able to scale bandwidth from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps through the Console. The service is designed for high availability with zero down-time maintenance and is backed by a 99.99% SLA. Check the documentation for SLA terms during preview.
Map one office to San Jose or N. Virginia this week and run a single test connection. While you wait on provisioning, the free tools on Art of Code cover the small daily jobs, and if you want to work on cloud and network infrastructure for a living, browse the open roles on Art of Code jobs.
Written by Adithya Guttha, Founder of Art of Code.
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