The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is expanding its interconnection service provision in Kenya, adding LINX Mombasa to its global network map.
One year on from the launch of its first Internet Exchange Point (IXP) on the continent, LINX Nairobi, the global interconnection service provider will be extending not only its Kenyan footprint but also its partnership with local data centre operator iColo: A Digital Realty Company.
Mombasa is home to several major submarine internet cables, including 2Africa, SEACOM, TEAMS (The East African Marine System), and EASSy (Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System). These cables serve as critical links between Africa and the rest of the world, providing high-capacity, low-latency connectivity across continents.
The strategic coastal location makes Mombasa the digital gateway for East Africa. It not only serves Kenya but also provides critical internet traffic infrastructure for neighbouring countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and even landlocked nations like South Sudan.
By facilitating local peering and traffic exchange, Mombasa’s infrastructure reduces reliance on international routing, which previously would require traffic to be sent to Europe and back. This is expected to lower latency and significantly reduces costs for networks.
LINX Head of Global Engagement Nurani Nimpuno said “The launch of the Mombasa IXP is a significant complement to the existing LINX IXP in Nairobi a step that will bolster interconnection across East Africa. Improved efficient local traffic exchange enhances network resilience, reduces latency, and supports a seamless digital experience. This expansion strengthens not only our partnership with iColo, but the region’s digital backbone, as we work together to pave the way for greater connectivity, innovation, and economic growth.”
Several international content providers, cloud services, and digital infrastructure companies have a presence in Mombasa’s data centres. These include global giants such as Google, Akamai, and Netflix. By hosting popular content locally, the need to retrieve it from overseas servers will be reduced, which is expected to dramatically improve access speeds and significantly reduce bandwidth costs.
“With over 90 networks connected at our data center campuses in Mombasa, the addition of LINX gives our customers a far-reaching global platform for enhancing interconnectivity. We are excited by the numerous opportunities presented by this collaboration. LINX provides an opportunity for our customers to peer at other global locations, including Nairobi, strengthening worldwide connectivity,” commented Ranjith Cherickel, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of iColo.
LINX Mombasa will be the first Internet Exchange Point at iColo’s MBA2 facility and with a physical presence in both sites and an interconnected fabric setup, this adds a new level of interconnection services for the region.
LINX Mombasa is predicted to go live early in Q1 of 2025 and is planned to mirror the technical set up in Nairobi, using Nokia technology to enable peering services and more on 100G ports from day one.
Existing members of LINX globally including networks connected to LINX Nairobi will be able to take a 10G port with 1Gbps of peering service with no additional costs as this is part of LINX’s unique membership package.
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