1. Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) Access Catalysts in Developing Countries
Michuki Mwangi
Senior Education Manager
ISOC
Advisory Council Meeting, IETF 74
San Francisco, CA,
27th March 2009

2. Background
IXPs:
Reduce costs by eliminating the sending of local traffic via expensive international links
Reduce delays in accessing local content, improving quality of service
Improve resilience of the local Internet infrastructure
Stimulates the creation of local content
In sum, IXP’s are key infrastructure, but many developing countries lack them

3. IXP Project for 2009 Focuses on Africa
Limited cross border interconnections
Least served by international fiber optic submarine cables
Pricing for cable connectivity is higher than alternative options i.e Satellite
Satellites have diminished focus on the need for solid terrestrial infrastructure
Local content is hosted externally, little incentive for local hosting providers, compounding the problem
The existing IXPs are struggling to create a broader impact within their regions
Technical, operational, and policy education would have a positive effect
Internet governance activities report
7 April 2008

4. IXPs in Africa
18 IXPs in 16 African countries Source:

5. Traffic Distribution across 10 IXPs in Africa
Total traffic is about 10% of LINX

6. Project Scope
4 complementing programs based on the stage and requirements of each country:
Value Adding Services
Technical Capacity Building
New IXP Implementations
Building IXP Opps Communities and Forums
Project collaboration is key to success
Several partners have been identified and new ones being sought

7. Internet governance activities report
The Programs
Value Adding Services
Technical Capacity Building
New IXP Implementations
Building IXP Forums
Internet governance activities report
7 April 2008

8. Value Adding Services
At least 66% of the IXPs in Africa have a form of value adding services
Only 3 have considerable value added services i.e Root-Servers, NTP, IPv6 and NTP
The remaining 44% were looking at deployments in the near future.

9. Value Adding Services Improve participation at existing IXPs
Attract regional interconnections
Results in enhanced resilience and stability of the local and regional infrastructure
Areas of Focus are in the implementations of:
Root-Server
Looking glass and Measurements
NTP, AS112 & FTP Mirrors

10. Root Servers
In collaboration with AfriNIC and Root-Server operators (F, K, J and L Root)
Initial workshop brining together Root Server operators and African IXP operators was held in Cairo 2008
Currently in discussion with Mozambique (MOZIX) and Tanzania (TIXP)

11. Looking Glass and Measurements
Looking glass or Route-Servers provide a source of information for Technical Community and Researchers
IXPs are a unique central point to collect meaningful data on usage, growth, etc.
In the process of identifying additional partners to AfriNIC namely; Ripe NCC and Routeviews.org

12. NTP, AS112, and FTP Mirrors are the least deployed within African IXPs
Will increasingly add value to the critical infrastructure
Looking to identify potential partners
Suggestions welcome.

13. Internet governance activities report
The Programs
Value Adding Services
Technical Capacity Building
New IXP Implementations
Building IXP Forums
Internet governance activities report
7 April 2008

14. Technical Capacity Building
Aimed at developing technical skills for operating and managing IXP peering and interconnections
Both new and established IXPs
Gear contribution from Cisco Systems to create a training kit
Will also train NREN community on Peering and Interconnections
5 trainings are currently planned in Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Mali, Senegal in 2009

15. Internet governance activities report
The Programs
Value Adding Services
Technical Capacity Building
New IXP Implementations
Building IXP Forums
Internet governance activities report
7 April 2008

16. New IXP Implementations
Only 29% of countries in Africa have IXPs
Lots of work to be done
Cisco has generously contributed gear to help start up new IXPs
Working on the setup of IXP in Sierra Leone
ISOC Project Funding Recipient
Discussions ongoing with Seychelles, Senegal, Burundi, Namibia amongst others.

17. Internet governance activities report
The Programs
Value Adding Services
Technical Capacity Building
New IXP Implementations
Building IXP Forums
Internet governance activities report
7 April 2008

18. Build IXP Forums Aimed at ensuring the IXP operators have a forum for:
Collaboration
Best Practice Sharing
Technical Capacity Development
The objective is to catalyze IXP growth and development in the region
ISOC partnering with AfriNIC and AfNOG
NAPLA IXP forum in Latin America is the model
Model could possibly be replicated in other regions like Asia Pacific

19. Questions – Discussion?
Michuki Mwangi 19