Launch of Cebu open Internet Exchange Point held alongside workshops in Manila, 21-22 September
[Manila, Philippines] The Internet Society and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – through the Advance Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) and its Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) project – hosted several Internet Exchange Point (IXP) development workshops this week to encourage improvements in local Internet service.
“Internet exchange points help to keep domestic Internet traffic local, contributing to reduced transit costs, improved quality of service and more affordable Internet for end-users,” said Rajnesh Singh, Regional Bureau Director for Asia-Pacific at the Internet Society. “Promoting neutral exchange points is crucial in Southeast Asia, which still suffers from a lack of carrier-neutral IXPs.”
To kick off the event, the Philippine Open Internet Exchange (PhOpenIX), the country’s only neutral Internet exchange, launched a second neutral IXP in Cebu. The workshops addressed the principles, economics, and benefits of local interconnection, as well as best practices for sustainable IXP management. Highlights included a multistakeholder discussion on the basics of Internet peering and its local benefits, an Internet policy dialogue between key government and industry players, and a training workshop for Internet service providers (ISPs) and network operators.
“We are at the dawn where true peering, which is the exchange between previously independent networks, will soon benefit the customers of each of these networks,” said Louis Casambre, Undersecretary of the DOST-ICT Office, at a recent Memorandum of Agreement signing with Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, wherein the telecom giant committed to provide fiber optic connectivity to PhOpenIX. The government network component of iGovPhil, which will be expanded in different regions, will also help to provide fiber connectivity to the program.
Administered by DOST-ASTI, PhOpenIX has a growing membership of Internet service providers, network operators, content distributors, and research institutions, and hosts services ranging from route server peering to transits for IPv6 networks.
“Non-exclusive peering through PhOpenIX makes local Internet traffic exchange more efficient and cost effective,” said Denis Villorente, Director of DOST-ASTI and Project Director of iGovPhil. “We want to roll out more IXPs in other parts of the country as a way to further develop our Internet ecosystem.”
For more than 20 years, the Internet Society has been working with countries and Internet community partners to facilitate core network development, interconnection, and Internet traffic exchange, as well as assisting with training individuals to build and maintain the Internet infrastructure in their regions. The presence of reliable and sustainable Internet infrastructure not only dramatically enriches a country’s Internet ecosystem, but also helps drive economic development.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society, http://www.internetsociety.org, is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone.
About the Integrated Government Philippines Project
The Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) Project is an essential element in the implementation of the eGovernment Master Plan of 2013-2016, which aims to improve the processes in government to provide better services to the public. This project, which is being managed by the DOST’s Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) and Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), is tasked to provide the necessary infrastructure and software needed for e-governance. The infrastructure includes the creation of data centers and layout of fiber optic networks to interconnect government offices and provide high-speed communication and sharing of tasks and data. Software includes online tools, services and applications for use by government agencies and citizens.
Media Contact: Noelle de Guzman, [email protected], +65 6407 1470