The London Internet Exchange (LINX), one of the world's leading Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operators, has completed the expansion of its Nairobi network to PAIX in Nairobi is now complete and services ready to order. LINX Nairobi is a neutral, multi-site Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and was launched from three data centre locations in the Kenyan capital back in November, 2023 to carry the region into the next digital era of keeping traffic local.
Following a demand from
the local networking community, the team at LINX have extended the network
fabric to now include PAIX Nairobi as a full access point to the IXP. The new
interconnection hub has experienced a successful first year in operation welcoming key local ISPs
along with global players like Meta and Starlink.
One connection to LINX
Nairobi allows access to whole community of networks for peering services and
more, regardless of where they are co-located in the metro.
Nurani Nimpuno, Head of
Global Engagement at LINX says; "Expanding our LINX Nairobi fabric to
PAIX is a key step in supporting the growth of Africa's digital economy. Our
vision is to create a dynamic interconnection community in the region, enabling
networks to exchange traffic locally while accessing global opportunities. This
collaboration with PAIX will help us achieve that goal and deliver even greater
value to our members."
PAIX Nairobi is located at
the Britam Tower in the central business district of Upper Hill, the financial
hub of East and Central Africa and hosts communities of interest for ISPs,
content networks, e-commerce, broadcasting and gaming companies.
The PAIX facility in
Nairobi is a state-of-the-art carrier-neutral data centre, strategically
located to serve a diverse range of customers across East Africa. This new
partnership ensures that networks within PAIX can now seamlessly connect to
LINX’s interconnection fabric, benefiting from the exchange’s extensive global
ecosystem and robust technical infrastructure.
Emmanuel Makina, Sales Manager of PAIX Data Centres, commented: "We are
thrilled to partner with LINX to bring their globally recognised
interconnection fabric to our Nairobi facility. This extension underscores
PAIX’s commitment to providing our customers with access to best-in-class
connectivity services, supporting their growth and innovation efforts."
Wouter van Hulten, CEO of
PAIX Data Centres, added:"We support our customers network expansions
on the African continent, by rolling out and operating world class
infrastructures. With the services offered by LINX in Kenya, we're preparing
the market for further datacentre investments. It's great to see the
cooperation between our teams on the African and the European continents
delivering results."
Networks co-located at
PAIX Nairobi will now be able to claim a free cross connect into the LINX
Nairobi community where they become part of a global membership. The monthly
membership fee of $130 includes a 10G port and 2Gbps of LINX service, with the
option to add on further services to meet their network needs.
The LINX services
available from PAIX includes peering, private VLANs, closed user groups and the
exclusive Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS). This expansion marks a significant milestone
in LINX’s mission to enhance connectivity and interconnection capabilities in
the East African region.
