The Internet Society and the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association (APIX) commit to work together to support communities that build the Internet and improve digital infrastructure in the region.
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, average international Internet traffic increased by 48%, putting an unprecedented strain on the Internet. The trend was the same for Asia-Pacific, where average local Internet traffic grew between 7-40%. An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) is a critical Internet infrastructure that enables better connectivity, increased speed, and improved Internet services – helping the Internet weather these traffic spikes. Internet networks in countries with no IXPs exchange traffic via expensive international links, which results in expensive connectivity, higher latency, and poor quality of content service.
What Is an Internet Exchange Point?
If you want to see your neighbor, taking a route that sends you across town and back again is not the quickest or most efficient way to get there. And yet, in many parts of the world, that is what happens with Internet traffic. IXPs help create shorter, more direct routes for Internet traffic.
Read the Explainer
In their new partnership agreement, the Internet Society and the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association (APIX) are committing to promote strong and resilient Internet infrastructure in the region.
Under the partnership, APIX and the Internet Society will work on:
IXP Development
The partnership will support new and existing IXPs to build and upgrade their IXP infrastructure.
Community Building
APIX and the Internet Society will engage with the Internet peering and interconnection community to facilitate knowledge and experience sharing.
Research
The Internet Society and APIX have a history of collaboration on research. In 2020, both organizations completed a comprehensive survey to understand the impact of COVID-19 on IXP operations in the region. Under this agreement, both organization would continue to conduct studies and research on topics that facilitate IXPs in Asia-Pacific.
“The APIX is very happy to sign this collaboration agreement with the Internet Society. We expect to build synergies and complement each other’s work in different areas that can benefit IXPs, and improve Internet infrastructure in the region,” says Katsuyasu Toyama, Chair of Asia-Pacific Internet Exchange Association.
“Partnering with the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association is an important milestone to flourish our engagement and support to the Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) community in Asia-Pacific,” says Naveed Haq, Regional Infrastructure and Connectivity Director, Internet Society.
“We are excited to collaborate in promoting IXP infrastructure development, training, research, and community engagement.”
Strong communities make a strong Internet. Learn how you can support IXPs in your region.
Image by Ivy Barn via Unsplash