AFR-IX telecom expands its peering network with KINIX, a strategic centre to improve connectivity in Central African
- The company strengthens its Pan-African Network, which currently has five African IXPs in Nigeria, South Africa, Djibouti, the recent addition of Kenya and the latest in DRC.
- KINIX (Kinshasa Internet eXchange point) is a neutral Layer 2 associative Internet exchange point resulting from the DRC-IX project.
Kinshasa, DRC, 24th March 2021 – AFR-IX telecom, a global Internet service provider operating in more than 50 countries in Africa that delivers data and Internet services for businesses, international carriers and telecom operators, is expanding its peer-to-peer network with an agreement with KINIX – Kinshasa Internet Exchange Point, located in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
AFR-IX peers with KinIX
AFR-IX thus reinforces its Pan-African Network, which currently has five IXPs – Internet Exchange Points -in Africa: NAPAfrica (South Africa), IXPN (Nigeria), DjIX (Djibouti), the recent addition of Asteroid IXP Mombasa (Kenya) and the latest in Kinshasa – KINIX. The activation of this last IXP in DRC is strategic for the company, as it facilitates peering Congolese ISPs as well as international networks, thus reinforcing connectivity in the Central sub-region of the continent located in Kinshasa, DRC.
According to the African IXP Association, there are 46 active IXPs across 34 African countries. South Africa has the most, followed by Tanzania and Nigeria. Many of these were established within the last decade and have grown significantly with over 1,000 networks now connected.
About KinIX
KinIX (KINshasa Internet eXchange point) is a neutral Layer 2 associative Internet exchange point resulting from the DRC-IX project. It offers:
- local and national peering ;
- remote peering ;
- unicast
KinIX is managed by the Internet Service Provider Association of DRC (ISPA), a consortium funded by all the country’s operators, including the four mobile operators – Airtel, Vodacom, Orange and Africell .
The RDC-IX project is a modern infrastructure for New Information and Communication Technologies. It contributes to the implementation of associative and neutral exchange points (IXP) across different cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This project allows local traffic between Internet operators in the same city to remain local. Additionally, it ensures that traffic between Internet operators in different cities stays national. This setup avoids multiple satellite hops currently needed to exchange content.
Moreover, RDC-IX will host numerous other services. This will reduce bandwidth requirements and improve speed, quality of service, and reliability. Consequently, it will help bridge the digital divide, a significant barrier to modernity.
In the short and medium term, the KINIX (KINshasa Internet eXchange), GOMIX (GOMa Internet eXchange), and LUBIX (LUBambashi Internet eXchange) points will form the backbone of RDC-IX.
About AFR-IX telecom
AFR-IX Telecom is a licensed telecommunications operator. It delivers Data, MPLS, SDN, and advanced Managed solutions in Africa. It serves corporates, international carriers, and telecommunications operators across the continent.
AFR-IX holds licenses in several countries. These include Spain (CNMC electronic and submarine), Portugal (Anacom), USA (FCC), Nigeria (NCC), Ghana (NCC), DRC (ART), Mali (ARCEP), Burkina Faso (ARCEP), Sierra Leone (NATCOM), and Cameroon (ART). Additionally, it plans to obtain more licenses in the coming months.
By integrating operations, managed services, and strategy, AFR-IX offers a complete IT infrastructure. This methodology benefits all entities based in Africa.
AFR-IX Telecom has the largest and most reliable Metro Ethernet Pan-African Network. It offers global coverage services in Africa. With over 50 POPs in Africa, Europe, and America, AFR-IX provides reliable connectivity. Countries are connected via subsea and terrestrial cables.
AFR-IX is committed to delivering the best services. It integrates the forces that shape the future of the telecom industry and surrounding societies.
