City Launches Own Local Internet Exchange Point

From Arusha Times, Arusha
By Valentine Marc Nkwame


Arusha has just become the first non-capital urban center in East and Central Africa to have its own Internet Exchange Point, a physical infrastructure that allows different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to connect to each other and exchange local traffic between their networks by means of mutual peering agreements.

Under this new Digital Data arrangement, the local web surfers will be able to by-pass international and interconnect directly, via exchange other than through one or more third party traffic controllers, that are usually the networks based in the western countries.

One of the AIXP coordinators, Erick Rowberg, stated that it was high time that Tanzania became independent of foreign data controllers, adding that most African countries have for many years been reduced into mere satellites for the global Internet networks.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200708120056.html