SEACOM, a pan-African ICT enabler, plans to
expand its European connectivity to Amsterdam and will be the latest partner to
join the AMS-IX reselling program. Joining the program gives SEACOM the
opportunity to make connectivity to the AMS-IX platform more easily available
for African Internet companies. Peering and IP interconnection between African
and European networks will be greatly enhanced moving forward.
SEACOM is an
important player on the African continent. The company was the first to build a
broadband submarine cable system along the Eastern and Southern African
coastlines, connecting to Europe, India and Asia and has since then expanded
its network of terrestrial and submarine infrastructure with connectivity to
and from Europe.
Besides
the partnership with SEACOM, AMS-IX also has the intention to establish an
Internet exchange presence in East Africa to keep regional Internet traffic in
the area local. Therefore AMS-IX is currently in discussions with the Kenya
Internet Exchange Point (KIXP), which is operated by the Telecommunication
Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK), for close cooperation. With
the intention to build a professional Internet hub in East Africa, AMS-IX wants
to contribute to the African Internet ecosystem.
“To have a
good interconnection and Internet performance in the region, the setup of an
Internet exchange hub is essential. With our experience and knowledge we can
make a valuable contribution.” explains Job Witteman, CEO of AMS-IX. “At the
same time, we want to keep AMS-IX relevant for our members and customers.
SEACOM has the services and connectivity to bring new unique networks from the
African continent to Amsterdam, making it an important partner for AMS-IX.
Mark
Simpson, CEO of SEACOM, says: “We are very pleased about our partnership with
AMS-IX. By collaborating we can further enhance SEACOM’s value proposition and
our goal to achieve a seamless African Internet experience. AMS-IX will improve
efficiencies through our infrastructure and will open up a large international
Internet community to directly interconnect with our customers.”
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