African Peering and Interconnection Forum 2011

Despite the growing regional infrastructure, most of the cross-border Internet traffic exchange is done in Europe and North America. This is a clear indication that the satellite routing policies are still predominant in a submarine and terrestrial fiber setting.

A visible example is a trace of the path followed by an Internet packet from Nairobi, Kenya to Kigali, Rwanda. The packet from Nairobi will go to Europe then back to Kigali. The anomaly is that Rwanda is a landlocked country, and has its international fiber connectivity terrestrially connected through the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.

The scenario is replicated across the entire region and serves a barrier to growth, innovation and operational efficiency. Of most concern is, cross-border and regional communications are entirely dependent on global connectivity.  Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum is a two day forum that aims to address the key Interconnection opportunities and challenges that exist in the region

Session: Building Regional IXPs -Interconnecting IXPs or Building Critical Mass at IXPs?

This session will seek the attention of content providers and Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in the peering and interconnection deliberations. The objective will be to unearth the impact of gaming servers and edge caching in the peering and transit ecosystem. The session will also highlight the content providers peering and transit policies in relation to their participation at IXPs.

Moderator: Godfred Ofori Som