The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has set an ambitious target of meeting 1 terabyte peak local Internet traffic by the end of 2024, even as it presently boasts of 500 Gbps from the 300Gbps it recorded last year in its infrastructure.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer of IXPN Mr. Muhammed Rudman said the target is set having achieved the milestone of 500 Gbps based on the connection of several global and local content providers exchanging traffic locally via the exchange point.
He said IXPN has over 120 connected members, which includes some of the global content networks such as Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, as well as all Mobile Network Operators in Nigeria, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other network operators in the country.
“We are delighted to report that IXPN has passed the 500 Gbps peak local Internet traffic threshold. This is attributed to the deployment of robust infrastructure in all our locations across the country, with little or no downtime throughout our years of operation.” the statement reads.
A report by the Internet Society (ISOC) about IXPN and Kenyan IXP revealed that in early 2020, the port charge at IXPN was US$0.428 per month per Mbps (for a 1 Gbps port), while the cost of international IP transit is US$27.45 per Mbps per month (also for 1 Gbps capacity).
The report added that accessing traffic or content at IXPN thus costs about US$27 less per Mbps per month than it would be accessing it abroad, and given the amount of traffic exchanged in 2020, this is a savings of over US$40 million per year.
Mr. Rudman declares that these savings have resulted in numerous ISPs expanding their businesses and creating opportunities for new ISPs to enter the market, increasing local total internet traffic. Mr. Rudman went on to say that the domestication of Internet traffic in Nigeria implies that accessing local content guarantees that traffic does not leave Nigeria through international upstream providers. Thus, helping to save Forex, especially in the wake of the recent FX crisis, which has put a strain on most businesses.
“We believe that hosting content locally is the way to go as it is the only way to grow capacity and technical competence within Nigeria thereby creating more jobs for the populace,” he added.
IXPN presently boasts of having multiple locations across Nigeria, making its services easily accessible thereby allowing local service providers to save costs through peering. This situation many industry watchers and analysts believe is a display of IXPN’s commitment to providing excellent services with high availability.
