Africa Congo Internet Exchange becomes first distributed IX in DRC

After completing a major upgrade to its New York metro platform to a quad-node network architecture, Internet Exchange (IX) operator DE-CIX has turned to a different deployment, working with NGO Internet Pour Tous, along with internet connectivity and web hosting provider United SA, to expand the Kinshasa-based Africa Congo Internet Exchange (ACIX) with an additional datacentre presence in OADC Texaf’s Kinshasa FIH1 facility.

Established in 2023, ACIX is designed as a neutral Internet Exchange environment open to all licensed operators, internet service providers (ISPs), mobile network operators (MNOs), cloud providers, content providers, enterprises, financial institutions, academic networks and international carriers operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the wider region.

NGO Internet Pour Tous was established in the DRC in 2021 to support the DRC government’s Plan National du Numérique Horizon 2025. The mission includes, among others, reducing the cost of Internet connectivity, improving the quality and availability of connectivity, and providing free connectivity to thousands of schools in the DRC.

ACIX is operated by DE-CIX on behalf of Internet Pour Tous as part of the DE-CIX-as-a-Service (DaaS) programme, with the intention of creating a regional hub for connectivity within central Africa. The NGO said that it can play a central role in supporting the development and coordination of the ACIX initiative as a neutral ecosystem platform intended to promote inclusive interconnection and digital ecosystem growth across the country.

DE-CIX’s DaaS program includes a set of services – such as installation, maintenance, provisioning, marketing and sales support – designed for datacentre operators or other third parties to create their own Internet Exchange and interconnection platform fully operated by DE-CIX.

ODAC is claimed to be Africa’s fastest-growing datacentre company and operates a growing network of carrier-neutral datacentres across the country, designed to support the development of open, interconnected digital ecosystems. OADC Texaf provides a carrier-neutral and open-access hosting environment for the ACIX infrastructure in its Kinshasa datacentre campus.

With the new datacentre presence at OADC Texaf’s Kinshasa FIH1 facility, ACIX will become the first distributed IX in the DRC, regarding the creation of what is described as a neutral and “state-of-the-art” colocation datacentre as marking an important step in strengthening the digital infrastructure ecosystem of the DRC.

The project aims to take advantage of the strategic geographic position of Kinshasa, located between the two most densely populated regions of the African continent. Forming an interconnection bridge between the neighbouring countries from the Atlantic on the west to the Indian Ocean on the east, ACIX will act as a connectivity hub for equatorial Africa, where networks can exchange data and house content with “significantly” improved performance.

Through the IX, networks from equatorial Africa will be able to exchange data with other networks at reduced latency improving the performance of content and applications, from education to Internet banking. There will also be stronger network resilience and broader interconnection opportunities for the national and regional internet community.

“ACIX is more than an Internet Exchange; it is foundational digital infrastructure for the future of Central Africa,” said Hussein Ibrahim, CEO of United SA. “Strong digital ecosystems are built on strong interconnection. ACIX represents an important step toward a more connected and digitally empowered region, where data can remain local, networks become more resilient and innovation can scale across borders.”

“As a neutral infrastructure provider, our role is to enable open interconnection and support the development of the broader digital ecosystem,” added Mohammed Bouhelal, managing director and director, business development of OADC Texaf DC. “Hosting ACIX within a carrier-neutral environment contributes to creating a trusted platform where all ecosystem participants can interconnect on equal terms.”

Marco Brandstaetter, global programme manager for DE-CIX as a service at DE-CIX, added: “DE-CIX is proud to support Internet Pour Tous and United SA in the expansion of ACIX and the development of a distributed, datacentre and carrier neutral Internet Exchange for the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“The integration of OADC Texaf’s newly built Kinshasa facility will enable additional networks to connect to the exchange and benefit from improved connectivity. ACIX is creating digital opportunities for the DRC and equatorial Africa by aggregating networks and enabling low latency and resilient local data exchange.”