FEATURE: INTERCONNECTING AFRICA
Distribution of Internet Exchange Points across Africa
breaks to any of the other cables connecting Africa to the rest of the word.
Angola’ s main Internet Exchange Point, Angonix has also registered a steady growth in traffic in recent years establishing Angola as an important entry and exit point for data traffic.
Housed in the Angonap Data Centre in Luanda, Angonix serves as a major hub for local and international Internet traffic exchange. As of April, 2025, Angonix recorded a new peak data. traffic throughput of 58.8 Gbps, underlining its growing importance to Africa’ s Internet infrastructure. It currently has 22 members and 25 connections, with 76 % of those connections supporting IPv6.
The carrier neutral Angonix facility has seen a considerable rise too in the number of members which is made up of ISPs, cable and satellite companies, mobile phone operators, leading financial institutions and a growing number of content delivery networks, including Microsoft, Meta, Unitel, Africell, Chevron and the National Bank of Angola, BNA.
In coming years, the establishment of more carrier neutral Internet Exchange Points across Africa can help fast-track connectivity across the continent. It can also help in creating new digital ecosystems that will emerge from new cable landing locations and the expansion of data centres.
There have also been discussions amongst Internet Exchange Point members to adopt new standards for routing security which will play an important role in building more robust and secure networks in the future.
What is more, is that Internet Exchange Points enhance Internet resilience ensuring more consistent connectivity. With up to 99.9 % uptime, they provide reliable Internet access even amidst outages or disruptions. The continued expansion of Internet Exchange Points is good news for the continent of Africa – and the millions of citizens still waiting for an opportunity to be connected to the worldwide web. p
48 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www. intelligentcio. com