Lagos, Nigeria: AF-CIX, the new interconnection platform recently launched in Nigeria to boost Internet speed and improve network performance for Internet Service Providers, Content Delivery Networks, Cloud Providers and Enterprises, has entered into a strategic partnership with DE-CIX, the leading operator of Internet Exchanges in the world to improve internet performance for businesses in Nigeria.

The platform hosted in Rack Centre – as part of innovations to support the growth of the Internet in Africa through effective and functional traffic localization, enterprise digitization acceleration, and community support, among other reasons – is specifically designed to complement the existing network infrastructure providers’ by providing a redundant path for local traffic exchange and a robust Interconnect Exchange through its partnership with DE-CIX, the leading operator of Internet Exchanges in the world.

According to the Head of Peering and Exchange Platforms for AF-CIX, Obinna Adumike, creating the platform became necessary to improve network performance by keeping traffic local, thereby reducing the number of networks hops that Internet traffic needs to take. He explained that AF-CIX connects networks by eliminating the need to route traffic through international circuits, thereby making the Internet faster and more responsive for users and resulting in lower latency and higher performance.

“The millions of users in Nigeria deserve digital services of state-of-the-art quality. This requires the best local infrastructure possible. DE-CIX is delighted to contribute to this to serve the broader need for interconnection, with modern interconnection services designed for businesses such as cloud connectivity,” explains Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “This will unleash the potential of the Nigerian digital economy by providing better performance and user experience of content and applications, and affordable and high-quality Internet access for enterprises and individuals.”

The integration of AF-CIX into the DE-CIX interconnection ecosystem will further help Nigerian businesses have direct access to the portfolio of DE-CIX services and connected networks, thereby offering them access to thousands of networks in over 100 countries. With the platform, participants or businesses would enjoy access to the largest aggregation of Cloud, content, and CDN providers worldwide with direct integration to close to 20 Interconnection platforms across the globe.

Commenting on the benefits of connecting to the platform, Adumike noted that any business linked to it would undoubtedly witness improved network performance, increased connectivity, lower costs, and better security, with exceptional interconnection services, and an updated and advanced approach to traffic engineering and management. “Connection to AF-CIX means a lot to every participant given that benefits such as cross-connection, peering, and port access to the platform are obtained freely at Rack Centre. Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks are mitigated through the platforms integrated, advanced Blackholing service. The platform is also developed for localization of the Internet, enhancing services like Root DNS servers and NTP Stratum servers,” he added.

The platform is set to provide for a future of converged interconnection across Internet players, offering seamless opportunities to interconnect locally across verticals for various sectors or industries.

About DE-CIX

DE-CIX (German Commercial Internet Exchange) is the world’s leading operator of Internet Exchanges (IXs). DE-CIX offers its interconnection services in more than 40 metro-markets in Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Accessible from data centers in over 600 cities world-wide, DE-CIX interconnects thousands of network operators (carriers), Internet service providers (ISPs), content providers and enterprise networks from more than 100 countries, and offers peering, cloud, and interconnection services. DE-CIX in Frankfurt, Germany, is one of the largest Internet Exchanges in the world, with a data volume of almost 34 Exabytes per year (as of 2022) and close to 1100 connected networks. More than 200 colleagues from over 30 different nations form the foundation of the DE-CIX success story in Germany and around the world. Since the beginning of the commercial Internet, DE-CIX has had a decisive influence – in a range of leading global bodies, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) – on co-defining guiding principles for the Internet of the present and the future. As the operator of critical IT infrastructure, DE-CIX bears a great responsibility for the seamless, fast, and secure data exchange between people, enterprises, and organizations at its locations around the globe.

Further information at www.de-cix.net.

About AF-CIX

AF-CIX is an African Interconnect Exchange founded by Africans with technical enablement by DE-CIX and hosted in Rack Centre to support the growth of the internet in Africa through effective and functional traffic localization, latency drop and reduced network cost. It will support accelerating enterprise digitization and cloud adoption.

The exchange platform improves network performance by reducing the number of network hops that Internet traffic needs to take connecting ISPs and content providers directly, making the Internet faster and more responsive for users.

For more information, visit www.af-cix.net

Media Contact DE-CIX:
Judith Ellis, Elisabeth Marcard, Viola Schreiber & Carsten Titt – Global Public Relations – Email: media@de-cix.net
Media Contact AF-CIX:
Obinna Adumike – Head, Peering and Exchange Platforms, AF-CIX – Email: Obinna.adumike@af-cix.net