13 November 2024
The London Internet Exchange (LINX) will be expanding their interconnection footprint in Africa with LINX Accra, a new Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for Ghana.
LINX Accra will be a neutral, multi-site interconnection fabric providing peering services and more for networks to improve performance, keep local traffic local and lower network latency. Set to go live in early Q1 of 2025, the new IXP will follow the LINX design of a resilient, interconnected, multi-site fabric to grow with the predicted demand for the region, future-proofing digital services and further enhancing Ghana’s connectivity ecosystem.
“We are delighted to be launching in Ghana. The LINX Accra IXP will bring robust, distributed interconnection services across several data centres in Accra. The state-of-the-art LINX interconnection hub ensures that as demand for connectivity grows, the infrastructure in Accra is ready to support it. LINX Accra will not only support the growth of the strong local ISP community, but with several key Internet submarine cables landing in Accra, it is uniquely positioned to become a central gateway for Internet traffic in West Africa,” said Head of Global Engagement for LINX, Nurani Nimpuno.
LINX Accra will initially launch from Onix and PAIX data centres as part of phase one. This setup will provide redundancy and interconnectivity, allowing networks at either location to meet at LINX Accra via a single cross-connect to access peering services and more.
LINX is also expanding its interconnection service provision in Kenya, adding LINX Mombasa to its global network map. One year on from the launch of its first Internet Exchange Point (IXP) on the continent, LINX Nairobi will be extending not only its Kenyan footprint but also its partnership with local data centre operator iColo: A Digital Realty Company.
Mombasa is home to several major submarine internet cables, including 2Africa, SEACOM, TEAMS (The East African Marine System), and EASSy (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System). The strategic coastal location makes Mombasa the digital gateway for East Africa. It not only serves Kenya but also provides critical internet traffic infrastructure for neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and even landlocked nations like South Sudan. By facilitating local peering and traffic exchange, Mombasa’s infrastructure reduces reliance on international routing, which previously would require traffic to be sent to Europe and back. This is expected to lower latency and significantly reduces costs for networks.
“The launch of the Mombasa IXP is a significant complement to the existing LINX IXP in Nairobi a step that will bolster interconnection across East Africa. Improved efficient local traffic exchange enhances network resilience, reduces latency, and supports a seamless digital experience. This expansion strengthens not only our partnership with iColo, but the region’s digital backbone, as we work together to pave the way for greater connectivity, innovation, and economic growth," said Nimpuno.
Several international content providers, cloud services, and digital infrastructure companies have a presence in Mombasa’s data centres. These include global giants such as Google, Akamai, and Netflix. By hosting popular content locally, the need to retrieve it from overseas servers will be reduced, which is expected to dramatically improve access speeds and significantly reduce bandwidth costs.
“With over 90 networks connected at our data center campuses in Mombasa, the addition of LINX gives our customers a far-reaching global platform for enhancing interconnectivity. We are excited by the numerous opportunities presented by this collaboration. LINX provides an opportunity for our customers to peer at other global locations, including Nairobi, strengthening worldwide connectivity,” said Ranjith Cherickel, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of iColo.
LINX Mombasa will be the first Internet Exchange Point at iColo’s MBA2 facility and with a physical presence in both sites and an interconnected fabric setup, this adds a new level of interconnection services for the region. LINX Mombasa is predicted to go live early in Q1 of 2025 and is planned to mirror the technical set up in Nairobi, using Nokia technology to enable peering services and more on 100G ports from day one.
