Two FNOs move up, four FNOs move down & smaller operators praised by ISPs

Internet industry association ISPA has released the results of its most recent Fibre Network Operator (FNO) perception survey and they indicate slipping confidence in FNOs.

The survey measures the views of the internet industry association’s members on SA’s many FNOs and some 50 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) participated in the February 2024 poll.

ISPA’s members were asked to rate the FNOs they do business with across eleven criteria, on a scale of 0 to 10. The previous survey took place in August 2023.

ISPs’ views of Link Africa and Liquid Intelligent Networks have improved the most in the last six months. Opinions on Metrofibre and Octotel have remained positive, while the scores for Frogfoot, Openserve, Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa have all dropped.

The two top-rated FNOs also dominated the rankings for the individual metrics, with Metrofibre scoring highest for technical proficiency (7.5), communications (6.9), friendliness of staff (7.9), business processes (7.4), software systems (6.9), and optimism (6.7), while Link Africa excelled in value for money (7.8) and open access principles (7.9). Despite slipping significantly in the overall ratings, Openserve retained top spot for reliability (7.9). Octotel remained the FNO with the best support for ISPs (7.1). The two networks that ISPs were most likely to recommend to other ISPs were Metrofibre and Liquid Intelligent Networks (tied at 6.4).
Overall, ISPA noted that ISPs’ confidence in their FNOs has slipped slightly since August, with the annual average of all FNOs dropping by 0.2 points to 6.0. The lowest scoring criteria overall are:

• optimism about whether an FNO will improve in the future (5.5),
• support provided to ISPs by FNOs (5.4), and
• the likelihood of recommending a particular FNO to another ISP (5.3).

FNOs hoping to improve their score in the future should consider streamlining the support they provide to ISPs making sure they have processes and staff capacity to resolve common issues, such as the difficulties consumers face when trying to migrate lines between ISPs.

For the February survey, ISPs were given the opportunity to provide freeform feedback to each FNO. This feedback unexpectedly revealed the importance of FNOs’ account managers. ISPs with a good account manager tended to rate that FNO far more positively, while those with a less skilled account manager were much more critical towards that FNO overall.

ISPA used the release of the February survey results to highlight the number of smaller FNOs providing services to ISPs. The internet industry association notes that although only nine operators were rated by a significant number of ISPs, there were another 23 networks included in the ratings. Despite being ranked by fewer ISPs, some of those networks did very well, with Evotel (7.5) and Zoom Fibre (7.4) achieving higher averages than all of the large networks. Lightspeed (6.7), Lightstruck (6.5), Thinkspeed (6.3) and Seacom FibreCo (6.2) also fared well. ISPA encourages ISPs who aren’t yet connected to those networks to consider expanding their coverage footprints with new partners.

The full table of results for all of the networks surveyed is published on the ISPA website here. FNOs who would like the additional details for their networks are encouraged to contact the ISPA Secretariat.

Finally, ISPA continues to engage with its members and FNOs to develop a set of FNO and ISP Best Practice Recommendations that will ultimately ensure that FNOs and ISPs work together to deliver seamless, cost-effective fibre-based internet.

See previous surveys here: FNO Perception Surveys.

Maile Selala and Ruchelle Coetzee Awarded ISPA Inspires Sponsorships

The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 ISPA Inspires educational sponsorship programme. This transformative initiative is designed to empower South African youth aspiring to make their mark in the dynamic world of the internet industry.

ISPA Inspires is ISPA’s commitment to providing the support and resources necessary for young individuals to turn their aspirations into reality. The programme aims to award educational sponsorships while supporting, developing and investing in the next generation of South African ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) talent.

This year, the internet industry association provided two outstanding students with much-needed funding to turn their dreams into reality.

The first recipient – Maile Selala – emerged from a highly competitive field of over 200 applicants all vying for support from ISPA.

In a unique twist, the second ISPA Inspires award winner – Ruchelle Coetzee – was identified among the participants of the SA National Research Network (SANReN) Cyber Security (CSC) competition. This underscores ISPA’s commitment to recognising talent in diverse spheres.

The CSC was held in December last year with the aim of stimulating interest in information security within Southern African tertiary education institutions.

“ISPA remains dedicated to fostering the growth of South African talent in the tech landscape. Our ISPA Inspires programme is not just about financial support; it’s about championing the aspirations of young minds who will shape the future of our digital world,” remarked Aurora Vani, Chairperson of the Social Development Working Group at ISPA.

To learn more, please visit: www.ispa.org.za/social-development.

ISPA Questions Aggressive Reductions in Fixed Call Termination Rates

ISPA, South Africa’s official internet Industry Representative Body (IRB), questions recently announced aggressive reductions in fixed call termination rates.

ISPA furthermore calls for implementation of the planned convergence of mobile and fixed call termination rates towards eventual parity.

Call termination rates are fees charged by telecoms networks to ensure calls originally placed by a subscriber on one network can reach, or terminate, a subscriber on another network. These costs are worthy of interrogation as they are almost always passed on to the end telecoms consumer.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has decided not to align South Africa’s fixed termination rate with the mobile termination rate in a move that goes against its own findings* that acknowledge the convergence between fixed and mobile, driven largely by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The regulator said in a recent notice that it wants mobile termination rates slashed from 9c/minute ex VAT (13c for smaller operators) to 7c (9c) on 1 July 2024 and 4c (4c) on 1 July 2025. The proposed cuts to fixed-line termination rates are more aggressive: from 6c/minute now, ICASA wants these reduced to 4c from 1 July 2024 and to just 1c from 1 July 2025.

ISPA member Switch Telecom states that R0.01 is an extraordinarily low fixed termination rate (FTR) by global standards. In addition to SA’s FTR being just a fraction of the FTR in highly developed markets, South Africa is a geographically large country with relatively low population density. The real-world cost of deploying fixed lines is far higher than in Europe, for instance, where the FTR is 40% higher than ICASA is proposing. Furthermore, South Africa has unique challenges relating to unreliable power which adds to the cost of providing reliable services.

Telkom, South Africa’s fixed line operator, has already expressed dismay at ICASA’s decision to cut fixed call termination rates and mobile termination rates asymmetrically. For their part, many of ISPA’s members provide voice services and their experience is that fixed-mobile substitution in the voice market is increasing. This is a worldwide trend.

According to ISPA chair, Sasha Booth-Beharilal: “The argument for parity has little to do with interconnection revenue, but rests on the fact that the distinction between fixed and mobile calls is blurring. The result is that the average cost of terminating a fixed call is now the same, if not more expensive, than terminating a mobile call.”

The first call termination review took place around 2010, resulting in ICASA imposing glide paths for the reduction of termination paths. Under ICASA regulation, call termination rates have been substantially reduced since 2014. Now, concerns are related to issues of parity and the sensible view is that there is simply no good reason for differences in fixed and mobile termination rates.

Finally, when it comes to proposals to cap rates local operators can charge for terminating calls coming from international destinations, ISPA welcomes the proposal to curb excessive international termination rates which bear no relation to regulated rates or actual costs. ISPA will engage with ICASA to ensure it understands how this will be practically implemented.

Founded in 1996 as the Internet Service Providers’ Association of South Africa, ISPA is today the country’s only internet Industry Representative Body (IRB) officially recognised by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT). ISPA advocates for an open, free and competitive internet on behalf of a diverse grouping of some 235 internet organisations.

Notes:

• https://www.ellipsis.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/call-termination-findings-document.pdf see paragraph 4.3.3.8

Undersea Cable Breaks Highlight Resilient Networks, says ISPA

News that some local internet users have experienced slow speeds since an estimated four undersea telecoms cables connecting Africa to the world were severed is worthy of concern, however, the impact has been muted due to years of sustained investment in the South African web.

The cables provide international connectivity between South Africa and Europe, via the East and West Coast of Africa. Although internet speeds decreased yesterday, the recent breaks proved the local web is a robust and stable system that is today less reliant on international infrastructure. National Internet Exchanges (INXes) which are run by INX-ZA, assisted internet users to route traffic more effectively and help mask the effects of the outage.

Multiple cable breaks years ago would have meant no international connectivity at all and extremely limited local content and services. Today, redundancy created by as many as nine undersea cable systems serving Africa and a mature, yet dynamic South African peering ecosystem means that breaks in several different cable systems has had a limited and manageable impact on local users.

The local peering and exchange of internet traffic within South Africa’s borders, via the INXes, did what it is designed to do and that is to ensure better local internet traffic delivery. The Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) has advised that consumers and businesses should choose vendors and products which host their content locally and promote peering at INXes. This architecture not only promotes growth for the local economy and internet ecosystem, but drastically improves end-user performance and outage resilience as observed during the last few days.

For further information, please visit www.inx.net.za or www.ispa.org.za, and follow INX-ZA and ISPA on social media.

National Fibre Mapping Project Highlights Minimal Choice of Fibre Providers

The Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) NPC today released the results of its Open Access Network (OAN) mapping project, conducted in partnership with mapping specialists 28East. An OAN is an infrastructure network provider delivering wholesale  fibre services to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that then form the basis for internet services provided to end users.

According to ISPA chairperson, Sasha Booth-Beharilal, the results clearly indicate  that many South African consumers have no choice of fibre service provider.

“This means that these consumers are not able to enjoy the pricing and quality benefits of infrastructure or service based competition.” says Booth-Beharilal.

An analysis of the overlap between the maps of two dozen open access networks indicates that nationally, 33 million people (54% of South Africa’s population) live in a location where at least one fibre operator provides a service, while 27 million citizens (46% of the population) are not yet covered. Of those who have at least one FNO providing service, more than a third have no choice of operator.

Here is how the numbers look based on population and on the number of households. The Western Cape and Gauteng lead the race for both coverage and competition, while citizens of Limpopo appear to be the least well-served by fibre providers.

ISPA acknowledged some limitations of the data used for the study, noting that only networks which publish mapping data could be used. This means that some consumers may still be able to purchase fibre services from closed network operators in locations where no open access networks operate. There are also limitations in the scale at which overlapping maps can be analysed while still matching them to census data. An FNO providing service in a suburb does not always provide service to all streets in the suburb so coverage in densely populated areas may be less than these figures suggest.

Despite these limitations, ISPA believes that the study gives a good high-level picture of the state of fibre-based internet access in South Africa. Comparing coverage against household income reveals that there has been a clear focus on covering the highest earning quintile of households, while both coverage and competition for lower income households lags behind.

Nationally 88% of top quintile income households are located in areas with the choice of at least one OAN, and 75% of them have a choice of multiple OANs. However, when we look at the lower quintile income households, we see that only 38% of households are in locations with at least one OAN. Where there is no coverage, the majority (62%) have no choice of OAN and by effect, ISP.

Links to national and provincial open access coverage maps:

• South Africa
• Eastern Cape
• Free State
• Gauteng
• KwaZulu-Natal
• Limpopo
• Mpumalanga
• North West
• Northern Cape
• Western Cape

It’s All Systems Go for ZANOG@iWeek2024!

It’s just a few days to go until ISPs, network operators, techies, public officials, executives, students, legal professionals and others with an interest in the internet descend on Somerset West near Cape Town for ZANOG@iWeek2024.

The line-up for the 12 to 14 March 2024 event at the Lord Charles Hotel is looking enticing: iweek.org.za/agenda.

For ready reference, day one of SA’s most prestigious internet industry gathering will see ISPA’s chairperson, Sasha Booth-Beharilal, kicking off the three day conference by welcoming the hundreds of registered delegates and the event’s keynote speaker, Prof. Jess Auerbach will talk about her research which explores use of the internet as a political tool, the impact of connectivity on social development and the disparities between the minority northern hemisphere and the majority south viewed through the lens of access to the internet.

For much of the duration of ZANOG@iWeek2024, technical streams will run in parallel with presentations dealing with such topics as the role of ISPs in cybersecurity initiatives, ICASA’s requirements for effective transformation for smaller ISPs, and how to protect children online with particular reference to the role of the Film and Publication Board (FPB).

For over 20 years, SA’s oldest internet industry gathering has emphasised practical opportunities for learning and ZANOG@iWeek2024 is no different. A training workshop on the first day will include practical tips and vital information on how to secure yourself against cybercriminals, day two will include practical advice on dealing with AI, including prompt engineering basics. Delegates will be provided with practical advice on making ethical decisions on how and when to use AI tools in their business.

As always, the domain name landscape comes under the microscope with a day two workshop hosted by ZANOG@iWeek2024 partners, ZADNA and ZARC, on navigating the ZA SLD namespace. ICANN, the event’s Petabyte Sponsor, will be hosting a workshop on the KINDNS framework which focuses on the most important operational best practices of DNS security. A market study commissioned by ICANN and presented by William Stucke and Mark Elkins immediately follows and will assess the current state of the domain name sector across the African continent. June Okal of ICANN will present the “Coalition for a Digital Africa” as well as the ICANN Grant Program, which will be of great interest for community network enthusiasts and operators.

Wednesday, 13 March will also feature an INX-ZA User Meeting which will provide a platform for users to come together, share experiences, discuss network developments and explore collaboration opportunities.

Much of day three will be devoted to fibre topics such as the Mapping of SA’s Fibre Networks presentation in the morning, the Future of Fibre panel discussion thereafter and the FNO/ISP Best Practice Workshop, amongst other scheduled fibre-related slots. Interestingly, ISPA’s February 2024 FNO perception survey results will be revealed in the afternoon.

The close of the first two days of ZANOG@iWeek2024 will see opportunities for networking and socialising such as the Africa Data Centres cocktail function on the first day and the Beers for Peers, hosted by Teraco and ZARC on the second day.

The 2024 return of SA’s leading internet industry conference and exhibition will be hosted by the South African Network Operators Group (ZANOG) and Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) at the Lord Charles Hotel’s conference centre in Somerset West, a mere 20 minutes away from Cape Town International Airport.

SA’s most anticipated annual internet industry event always aims to address the diverse needs of the local internet community and ISPA believes ZANOG@iWeek2024 ticks all the necessary boxes for an informative yet entertaining event. Register – free – for ZANOG@iWeek2024 here: iweek.org.za/register.

ZANOG’s mission is to optimise and streamline Africa’s role within the global internet community and will focus on technological best-practices for local, regional communities and peering networks as telecommunications infrastructure is developed throughout Africa. ISPA was established in 1996 and is a recognised Industry Representative Body which currently represents 230 members.

See iweek.org.za for additional information on ZANOG@iWeek2024.

Follow @ISPA_ZA on X and Linkedin.

Internet Industry Reports to Minister on Successful Co-Regulation

South Africa’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) on Wednesday (28 February 2024) delivered its Industry Representative Body (IRB) annual Code of Conduct Report to the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), Mondli Gungubele.

ISPA remains one of the country’s largest representative bodies, made up of both Electronic Communications Service (ECS) and Electronic Communications Networks Service (ECNS) licensees. The report covers the period from January to December 2023, lists 231 ISPA members and highlights the Association’s role as an effective IRB by removing unlawful websites and mediating disputes between consumers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

The report furthermore advises the DCDT on ISPA administrative support for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in the form of up-to-date contact details for more than 500 operators in the internet and telecoms sector. These contact details make provision for law enforcement agencies to contact a service provider for assistance.

The IRB report finally notes an MoU ISPA signed with the DCDT in May 2023 about collaborating on combatting and strengthening cyber security in the internet industry.

“ISPA enjoys a fruitful working relationship with the current Minister driven by a mutual desire to direct internet technologies towards lifting economic growth and thereby eradicating poverty. ISPA is pleased to present this latest IRB report to Minister Gungubele as it cements ISPA’s well-deserved status as a recognised IRB,” says ISPA chair, Sasha Booth-Beharilal.

Possibly one of the biggest benefits of ISPA membership relates to the Association’s Take-Down Notice (TDN) procedure which is one of the many services offered to all ISPA members and protects them from liability for content that is hosted on, or transited through, their networks. In order to qualify for this protection, ISPs must have a process in place for handling take-down notifications, and must also be a member of ISPA.

ISPA’s report to the Minister highlighted that about 3 to 4 ‘problematic’ websites are removed from the local internet every week in terms of the Association’s take-down procedure.

During 2023, ISPA accepted 203 take-down notices (out of an initial 600 requests) and passed these on to the relevant members. In 195 cases, content was soon removed or blocked by either the ISP concerned, or their client. In the lion’s share of instances (64), intellectual property rights were allegedly infringed. Some 17 take-down notices were related to phishing sites, while 58 take-down notices centred on material designed to defraud or mislead the public.

ISPA notes that, for the last six years, yearly take-down notice volumes have plateaued at around 600 requests (2022: 612). The percentage of requests that ISPA is able to process typically hovers around the 34% mark. Notices are most often rejected due to the target not being an ISPA member.

ISPA furthermore received 1 616 requests during 2023 as part of the consumer mediation process it has been operating since 2019 to rapidly resolve consumer complaints. In 2022, the figure was 1 333. On average, these complaints have grown 15% a year for the past four years.

In 2023, 904 complaints were accepted and 712 were rejected either because insufficient information was provided, the company involved was not an ISPA member, or the request did not relate to an internet service. Billing disputes, quality of service and contract cancellations were the top three issues.

For the 904 mediation requests accepted by ISPA, 441 were confirmed as successfully resolved using the mediation process, 183 were passed onto the relevant member but the complainant ceased communication so ISPA was unable to confirm resolution, 153 were withdrawn by the complainant, 49 could not be resolved and were closed without further action, 31 could not be resolved using the medication process and were escalated to formal complaints and 47 were still pending at the time of writing.

ISPA has developed good working relationships with many governmental bodies including the DCDT, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA), the Film and Publications Board (FPB) and others while influencing and shaping South African telecoms policy since 1996.

ISPA was recognised as an IRB in 2009 by the then Minister of Communications while the first incarnation of its Code of Conduct was formally adopted in 2002. IRBs’ continued government recognition depends on their members’ adherence to an enforceable Code of Conduct.

From 168 small, medium and large internet and access providers in February 2015, ISPA membership in February 2024 now stands at some 235 firms who have committed themselves to upholding the ISPA Code. As this latest IRB report illustrates, ISPA membership is a symbol of commitment to the ISPA Code of Conduct and values it represents.

The ISPA Code of Conduct is the bedrock of IRB recognition and it requires all members to meet certain standards in terms of privacy, consumer protection, spam and protection of minors. The Code is constantly being refined in pursuit of industry excellence and the latest version is available at: ispa.org.za/code.

Securing Personal Info an Urgent Internet Safety Issue

SECURING PERSONAL INFO AN URGENT INTERNET SAFETY ISSUE RIGHT NOW, SAYS ISPA

With more than 80% of confirmed data breaches due to stolen, weak or reused passwords*; reclaiming digital footprints by safeguarding personal information is one of the most pressing internet safety issues of 2024.

This is according to the Internet Service Providers’ Association of South Africa (ISPA) as another Internet Safety Month winds down and stakeholders in South Africa and across the globe help raise awareness of a safer and better internet for all.

“February with its ‘together for a better internet’ message is an opportune time to remind South African internet consumers that the safeguarding of personal information should be their first cybersecurity-related concern every time they switch on any connected device,” says ISPA chair, Sasha Booth-Beharilal.

“The awareness of digital privacy and the effective securing of personal information has never been more important than it is right now because of the enormous amount of personal data being gathered and stored by social media, apps and enabled devices,” adds Booth-Beharilal.

Practical “do” and “don’t” suggestions that can immediately enhance internet consumer safety by helping prevent unauthorised access to personal information include:

• Do keep an updated and effective antivirus solution on your computer.
• Do start using longer passphrases as opposed to shorter passwords.
• Do opt for multi-factor authentication (MFA) and investigate biometric security options.
• Do let your mouse hover over the sender’s name on a suspect email as this will often expose the underlying email address which might not be the same as the one displayed.
• Do safeguard your email address online by not distributing it carelessly all over the web.
• Don’t click on links in emails you are not expecting.
• Don’t download apps and other software from companies you have never heard of.

When it comes to the safeguarding of personal information by legitimate actors, relevant South African legislation like the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related Information Act (RICA) and the Cybercrimes Act all combine to help protect the country’s internet consumers.

Interaction between ISPs and law enforcement, for instance, is heavily regulated in South Africa and ISPA members receive training and support to ensure subscriber personal information is not released to a law enforcement agency other than where a lawful request has been made.

Ultimately, a healthy dose of critical thinking is the individual internet user’s best defence against the unauthorised use of personal information and for staying safe online. Again, use strong and proper passwords and passphrases – and take everything you read, see and hear online with a pinch of salt.

ISPA is a recognised Industry Representative Body (IRB) representing the interests of over 235 small, medium and large internet service and access provider members.

Check out ISPA’s Cyber Safety Resources page here: https://ispa.org.za/safety/.

Notes to Editors:
* Quoted on Norton.com and attributed to LastPass, 2021.

Free Registration Now Open for South Africa’s Top Annual Internet Industry Conference

Next month sees the Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) and the ZA Network Operators’ Group (ZANOG) co-hosting ZANOG@iWeek2024, South Africa’s most influential and anticipated annual internet industry event.

Registration is now open for this three-day conference and exhibition set to take place from 12 to 14 March 2024 at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, Cape Town.

This is easily the most important one-on-one internet industry gathering south of the Sahara. ISPs, network operators, industry newcomers, techies, government officials, executives, students and legal professionals simply have to be at ZANOG@iWeek2024.

ZANOG@iWeek2024 will be the 20th such event since the first “Internet Week” was held in Cape Town in 2000. The continued support of ISPA, its members and internet industry partners means the event remains free to attend for anyone interested in internet-related trends and technologies.

Space is limited, however, and early registration is essential to secure your seat. Register now at https://iweek.org.za/register.

Delegates can look forward to a dynamic program featuring technical, business and regulatory presentations as ZANOG@iWeek2024 addresses the diverse needs of the local internet community. Everyone from the start-up founder to the corporate manager will find the networking, education and promotion opportunities invaluable.

Presentations include such topics as Effective Transformation for ISPs, Cybersecurity, the Future of Fibre and discussions on Domain Name Services, amongst numerous other issues.

ZANOG’s mission is to optimise and streamline Africa’s role within the global internet community and will focus on technological best-practices for local, regional communities and peering networks as infrastructure is developed throughout Africa.

Established in 1996, ISPA is a recognised Industry Representative Body which currently represents some 230 members with a diverse range of internet services and target markets.

Finally, for those interested in maximising their visibility at this influential event, ZANOG@iWeek offers a range of sponsorship packages. For more details, please visit https://iweek.org.za/ or contact iweek@ispa.org.za.

JINX Dark Fibre Upgrades Set the Stage for Growth

The multisite Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX) has completed the installation of high-speed dark fibre across the span of the entire network to radically boost the exchange’s resilience and backbone capacity in 2024.

“Successful digital transformation centred around the generation of e-GDP depends on the infinite bandwidth that dark fibre enables,” says INX-ZA chair, Prenesh Padayachee.

Dark fibre rolled-out between the six data centres where JINX is located provides virtually unlimited future network capacity. INX-ZA can now easily enable additional capacity between sites as more peers connect to the JINX peering fabric.

JINX data centre locations presently include:

• Dimension Data Parklands
• Teraco Isando
• Xneelo Samrand
• Africa Data Centres Halfway House
• Africa Data Centres Samrand
• Digital Parks Africa Samrand.

INX-ZA’s overarching objective is to keep internet traffic local to lower costs and improve latencies. The community-run INX-ZA manages SA’s only data centre-agnostic and multisite Internet exchange points.

In addition to JINX, INX-ZA also operates South Africa’s other community-run INXes, namely the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX), Durban Internet Exchange (DINX) and the Nelson Mandela Bay Internet Exchange Point (NMBINX).

INX’s three decade investment in South Africa has helped to ensure that local traffic stays local. Most recently, a major content delivery drive has helped to ensure that popular streaming content for consumers in Cape Town and Durban is served locally, instead of content being backhauled all the way from Johannesburg. Typically, this means that consumers enjoy improved services, and the ISP saves on costs which are eventually passed on to the consumer.

As the African continent’s Internet penetration rates catch up fast to the rest of the world, South Africa’s multi-tenant data centre colocation supply is expected to continue its impressive growth trajectory, further underpinning the growth in Internet traffic exchanged locally. As South Africa’s only multi-site Internet exchange point, all the INX locations are well positioned to support the continued local development of the internet.

“The data centre and INX sector continues to grow unhindered and this makes a real contribution to reducing the cost to communicate while boosting the economy,” concludes Padayachee.

Established in June 1996, JINX is Africa’s longest-running exchange point, boasting a remarkable 100% uptime over its 27-year history. To connect to JINX or any of the other INX-run exchange points, please email ops@inx.net.za or visit www.inx.net.za.