London Internet Exchange (LINX) in Nairobi Goes Live
Nairobi, Kenya’s interconnection hub, the London Internet Exchange (LINX) (https://www.LINX.net/), has announced that it is fully operational and open for business.
The new Internet Exchange Point (IXP) for East Africa is called LINX Nairobi (https://apo-opa.co/3stuMbZ), and it is one of three data center locations spread throughout Kenya’s city. The goal of the IXP is to improve the nation’s digital ecology and connectivity even more.
Kenya, which has been experiencing a digital revolution since the early 2000s, is regarded as one of Africa’s top technological powerhouses. Since 2016, the nation has experienced average annual growth of 10.8%.
With rapidly expanding fiber connectivity over the entire region and a well-connected submarine cable network offering access to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, the nation is ideally situated to service all of East Africa.
LINX, a well-known leader in the global connectivity business, was founded in 1994. Their standing as the industry’s technological leader and track record of success abroad will serve as future references for solutions that can fortify Kenya’s quickly changing ecology.
Head of Global Engagement for LINX Nurani Nimpuno oversaw the LINX Nairobi project and is eager for the IXP to launch.
“I’m thrilled to have spearheaded this innovative new endeavor for LINX in Kenya, and the local community has been incredibly welcoming and supportive.” The country’s technological innovations, such as its adoption of M-PESA with Safaricom, may teach us a lot and set Kenya apart from other nations in terms of innovation in digital banking. I firmly think that LINX Nairobi can only enhance and expand Kenya’s ecology.
Prior to the opening of LINX Nairobi, LINX has been collaborating with important players in the Kenyan market, demonstrating their true commitment to industry collaboration.
Nurani goes on;
At LINX, we rely on our clients, other partners, ISPs, content providers, fiber suppliers, data center partners, and other partners. We work together to make each other possible. However, we only succeed when we cooperate and play to each other’s strengths.
Accessible from IXAfrica (https://IXAfrica.co.ke/), Africa Data Centres (https://apo-opa.co/3MG0TMs) NBO1 and iColo (https://apo-opa.co/3uaQXE9) NBO1 facilities, the LINX Nairobi interconnection hub is a multi-site, interconnected platform.
Any of these facilities’ networks can peer their traffic with the LINX Nairobi hub, establishing a redundant and secure digital environment that will help them better manage their networks.
Peering enables networks to better manage the flow and direction of their network traffic. In comparison to alternative traffic control techniques, it frequently results in lower costs and better network latency.
Apart from the Kenyan data center players, LINX collaborates with several esteemed technical partners. In order to provide this scalable and future-proof solution, the IXP implemented Nokia’s 7220 IXR D3L and SR Linux Network Operating System (NOS), and Nokia was announced as one of these technical partners (https://apo-opa.co/3QWBUad). In order to finish the technological setup, Smartoptics (https://apo-opa.co/3FYE96I) and Flexoptics were also chosen as the best options.
The timing of LINX Nairobi couldn’t be better, with a significant government-led focus on the future of digital services in Kenya, including the Kenya Digital Superhighway Project (https://apo-opa.co/3MG1huo), which aims to increase fiber network penetration and create “smart hubs” for more rural areas.
For almost 30 years, LINX has been at the forefront of peering, revolutionizing the Internet and connectivity in the United Kingdom. As they launch their peering solutions and further interconnection services in the future, they have a complete commitment to working for the betterment of Kenya’s internet.
