NEWS
Coalition for Digital Africa announces Internet Exchange Point Initiative
The Coalition for Digital Africa is an initiative created by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ) that aims to bring more Africans online by supporting the development of a robust and secure Internet infrastructure in Africa .
IXPs enable the exchange of Internet traffic locally and are essential for any region aspiring to participate fully in the global Internet economy . The initiative is supported by a grant from ICANN and will be implemented by the Internet Society ( ISOC ).
Using an assessment tool developed by ISOC , five IXPs will be identified based on their potential to make a high impact on the respective local and sub-regional markets .
The Coalition for Digital Africa has announced another major initiative aimed at strengthening the Internet infrastructure across the continent .
This latest initiative will focus on enhancing five existing Internet exchange points ( IXPs ), to improve Internet access by making it faster and more affordable , thus positively impacting Internet users in the regions they are placed in .
The Internet Society will work to create a clear plan for growth and development , tailored to the regions ’ interests to strengthen the Internet in Africa .
“ Well-managed IXPs open new worlds of possibilities , with modest investment , by improving local Internet services and reducing their costs ,” said Sally Costerton , Interim President and CEO of ICANN , which launched the Coalition for Digital Africa in December 2022 .
Nokia builds multi-terabit pan-Africa optical backbone for Liquid Intelligent Technologies
Nokia has been selected by Liquid Intelligent Technologies to deploy a next-generation optical transport network connecting Kenya , Uganda , Rwanda , Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ), Zambia , Zimbabwe and South Africa .
The company is deploying a first-of-its-kind terrestrial network connecting submarine landing stations in Kenya , South Africa and DRC to create a highway with the potential to handle massive traffic across the Sub-Saharan African continent .
Nokia is deploying 145 nodes of 1830 Photonic Service Switch ( PSS ) in the seven countries with a total design capacity up to 12 Terabits per second .
Once launched , the new , advanced optical transport backbone will enable Liquid lntelligent Technologies to address the growing demand for capacity and deliver submarine traffic to landlocked countries at an affordable cost .
Liquid lntelligent Technologies ’ new optical backbone covers the sites with a colourless and flexgrid ROADM network for improved agility and flexibility . The Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching ( GMPLS ) feature of the new optical transport network will help reduce network disruptions by enabling automatic rerouting to alternate paths as needed .
Shahzad Manzoor Khan , Group Chief Technology Officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies , said : “ Our new terrestrial fibre corridor is the first of its kind in Africa in terms of distance and capacity . We are thrilled to partner with Nokia on this prestigious project which will transform Africa ’ s digital infrastructure and propel the region ’ s economy .”
14 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com