Nigeria upgrades core switches to offer 25GE, 40GE ports for connectivity

In efforts to improve performance, services and scalability that are critical to today’s evolving Information and Communication Technology industry, the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), has acquired switches capable of 25GE and 40GE ports for its entire network in Lagos.

An Internet exchange point (IXP) is a physical location through which Internet infrastructure companies such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and Content Distribution Networks (CDNs), connect with each other. These locations exist on the “edge” of different networks and allow network providers to share transit outside their own network.

The Chief Executive Officer of IXPN, Muhammed Rudman, who disclosed this in Lagos, said the upgrade of the switches will help the company address current and anticipated needs of its members.

Rudman explained that upgrading the core switches is to keep up with global trends and to ensure that the expectations of members, and indeed Nigerians are met. “This would allow us to offer 25Gbps and 40Gbps (Gigabits per second) ports to our existing and potential members. Prior to this time, we could only provide a maximum capacity of 10Gbps. With the acquisition of the current switches, IXPN is providing an opportunity for our members to scale and to get access to the latest features.”

He added that the upgrade will provide more switching platforms for the Exchange customers that need high capacity, and also boost the scalability of the exchange by accommodating more volume of traffic.

The IXPN has recorded an increase in membership with the connection of seven new members, making a total membership of 66 getting direct access to multiple Internet networks with a single connection. These new members, according to the company are Bitflux, Brainshare Technologies, Cynox-IT, Microsoft, SoftAlliance, WACREN, and WIOCC:

This necessitated the addition of the 4th Point of Presence (PoP) to its list of Lagos PoP, which is at Interconnect Clearing House, Nigeria Limited’s Data Centre. Thus, members interested in connecting to the exchange point within Lagos Island can now establish their connection within the ICNL facility.

Meanwhile, the IXPN is on the verge of launching a standard training facility, where its members and the general public will constantly receive capacity building/training in tandem with the fast-growing Information and Communications Technology industry.

The facility, located at the IXPN’s corporate office in Lagos, will be used for training members on topical issues affecting their services, with facilitators regularly drawn from local and international organisations.

Speaking on what informed the decision to set up the training facility, Rudman, noted that the capacity building facility is borne out of the fact that, the ICT ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and it is has become imperative to have an avenue for increasing the knowledge base of members and general players in the industry.

“As a regional IXP with 66 members presently connected to the exchange point, we felt it was high time we upgraded our facilities to include capacity building for our members, to tackle the current dearth of technical skills in the ecosystem, and to also keep our members abreast on the latest trends in internet technologies,” he said.