Nigeria’s internet exchange point hits 500 Gbps local traffic threshold

The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria said it reached a peak internet traffic of 500 gigabits per second on its infrastructure, marking a substantial growth from 300 Gbps recorded in the previous year.

Established by the Nigerian government, IXPN serves as a vital cornerstone in the nation’s digital landscape. By facilitating the exchange of internet traffic locally, IXPN aims to curtail offshore internet bandwidth payments, saving millions of dollars, and concurrently diminishing latency for local content consumers.

In a statement made available to The PUNCH on Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer of IXPN, Muhammed Rudman, attributed this achievement to the active participation of numerous global and local content providers exchanging traffic locally through the exchange point.

According to Rudman, IXPN boasts a diverse membership base of over 120 entities, including globally recognized content networks such as Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Google, and Meta.

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Additionally, all major mobile network operators in Nigeria, Internet Service Providers, and various network operators in the country are integral members of the IXPN community.

He said, “We are delighted to report that IXPN has passed the 500 Gbps peak local Internet traffic threshold. This is attributed to the deployment of robust infrastructure in all our locations across the country, with little or no downtime throughout our years of operation.”

The report by the Internet Society highlights a significant cost advantage for accessing traffic or content at the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria compared to accessing it abroad.

“In early 2020, the port charge at IXPN was US$0.428 per month per Mbps for a 1 Gbps port, whereas the cost of international IP transit for the same capacity was US$27.45 per Mbps per month.

“Accessing traffic or content at IXPN was approximately $27 less expensive per Mbps per month than accessing it internationally. Considering the substantial volume of traffic exchanged in 2020, this cost difference resulted in savings of over $40 million per year for those utilizing IXPN’s services,” he said.

According to Rudman, these savings have resulted in numerous ISPs expanding their businesses and creating opportunities for new ISPs to enter the market, resulting in an increase in local total internet traffic.

Rudman highlighted that localizing internet traffic in Nigeria ensures that accessing domestic content prevents it from routing through international providers, aiding in foreign exchange savings, crucial amidst the recent FX crisis affecting businesses.

“We believe that hosting content locally is the way to go as it is the only way to grow capacity and technical competence within Nigeria thereby creating more jobs for the populace,” he added.

He said with an unwavering commitment to enhancing connectivity and reducing costs, IXPN has set a visionary target to further escalate its traffic to 1 terabyte by the close of 2024.