Break-even Analysis of AWS Direct Connect Flat-rate Pricing: Seoul Region

On September 15, 2026, AWS launched Flat-rate pricing for 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps dedicated connections. By paying a fixed hourly rate, Data Transfer Out (DTO) costs within the selected Tier range are waived, enabling cost predictability. This analysis presents the break-even point and configuration selection criteria for flat-rate pricing compared to pay-as-you-go, using a case study of operating two 10 Gbps dedicated connections in the Seoul region.

Break-even Point and Cost Savings

Based on calculations for Tier 1 paths between the Seoul region and Seoul Direct Connect locations, the monthly DTO volume where flat-rate pricing becomes advantageous is as follows:

• 1 Port-pair (Available capacity 10 Gbps): Advantageous when exceeding approximately 114 TB per month (average 376 Mbps)
• 2 Independent connections (Available capacity 20 Gbps): Advantageous when exceeding approximately 309 TB per month (average 1.01 Gbps)

Flat-rate pricing is more cost-efficient than pay-as-you-go even with consistent usage of around 5% of line capacity. Based on a virtual bill (average 6 Gbps usage), switching is expected to result in 89.81% cost savings for a port-pair configuration and 79.63% for an independent connection configuration.

Difference Between Port-pair and Independent Connections

With flat-rate pricing, the configuration of two physical lines affects both pricing and capacity.

• Port-pair: Bundles two ports to provide built-in redundancy, with the second port included in the price. However, available capacity is limited to that of one port (10 Gbps).
• Independent connection: Operates each connection individually to fully utilize capacity, but requires additional ports for redundancy, doubling the cost.

If peak traffic is 10 Gbps or less, one port-pair is sufficient. If 20 Gbps is required and capacity must be maintained during failures, consider two port-pairs or two independent connections.

Pre-migration Considerations

Before switching to flat-rate pricing, the following constraints must be verified:

• Tier range: DTO to regions not included in the selected Tier is billed separately.
• Eligibility: Flat-rate pricing applies only to Dedicated Connections, not hosted connections.
• Change limits: Pricing plan changes are limited to a maximum of 3 times in the last 6 months, and all connections in the same location must use the same pricing plan.
• Separately billed items: Transit Gateway data processing fees, cross-connects, and telecom line fees are not included in the flat rate.