The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) has introduced two initiatives to make Internet exchange points (INXe) more accessible.
The first initiative will create multi-site Internet exchange points connecting different data centres within an area, according to IPSA. These points will effectively form one big INX carrying peering traffic between different networks at various data centres.
"Quite simply, adding new locations allows us to reach additional peers, the process of which benefits not just new peers as they connect to Africa's largest and oldest INX, but also existing peers by being able to interconnect with new networks," says Graham Beneke, chairman of ISPA's INX working group. "Additional locations also means we can provide better resiliency for existing services like the DNS Root instances that are currently housed at the existing INXes."
Typically, these points are located in a single data centre or location, but as the size of metropolitan areas increase and the fibre networks serving them grow, a single-location approach limits the number of networks that can be physically housed in the single data centre where the existing INX is located.
According to ISPA, this expansion will build resilience into South African peering networks and the local Internet.
The second initiative aims to expand the benefits of peering beyond the three metropolitan areas that currently have an INX - Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The initiative is called INXAnywhere and will allow networks based in other towns and cities to enjoy the lower costs and improved network performance of peering.
INXAnywhere uses "pseudo-wires" to simulate the behaviour of a traditional Ethernet peering link, according to IPSA. Networks located outside the INX areas can purchase a "pseudo-wire" circuit to the INX from a participating provider.
"An Internet exchange point's value is directly proportional to the number of networks (or peers) that use it, so it is incumbent upon the INX to be able to interconnect as many networks as possible," says Nishal Goburdhan, ISPA's INX manager. "These two projects are both aimed at making it easier for South African Internet operators to realise the benefits of peering."
According to Goburdhan, the initiatives will help to create a virtuous cycle by attracting more participants into the peering environment.
"This is just the beginning. We advise the industry to watch this space for further announcements aimed at adding value to the peering environment in South Africa in the interests of a better Internet for all."
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