CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA, -- 22 August 2018)
Asteroid, the interconnection platform innovator and IXP expert, announced today at the AfPIF 2018 conference in Cape Town, that it has received full support to build an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Mombasa, Kenya.

Using customer-driven campaigns to identify the right locations, Asteroid builds IXPs where they are needed. The port city of Mombasa is the landing station for all of the undersea fibre cables to Kenya, and an international network hub for Internet traffic in the region.

"Mombasa was a location that was identified very early on to us, as a location that would be perfectly suited for a well-run IXP", said Nurani Nimpuno, Asteroid CCO. "With the great amount of interest we have received in connecting to the IXP, from both international and local players, it is truly set to become the interconnection hub for the entire region." she added.

"There is this misconception out there, that all IXPs need to be large, complicated, and with Points of Presence (PoPs) everywhere", says Andy Davidson, Asteroid CTO. "We set out to dispel that myth, and to show that you can build modern, highly efficient, and cost-effective IXPs, that both serves the local community well, and also attracts the large international players. Our IXPs have the most modern feature set, with automation at the core of the design. And yet, they are nimble, lean, and cost-effective."

With the likes of Frontier, Seacom, Google, and Cloudflare on the list of companies supporting the Asteroid Mombasa IXP, the IXP is off to a great start.

"I’m very excited about Asteroid building a modern, efficient IXP in Mombasa. It will definitely be real game changer in the region." said Barry Macharia, solutions Architect at Frontier Optical Networks.

"At Frontier, we work every day to expand the Internet infrastructure in East Africa, so connecting that large transport network to the Asteroid IXP makes complete sense. Making content more accessible to local ISPs and improving local connectivity is a good thing!"

IXPs are a vital part of the physical network through which major Internet service providers (ISPs), carriers and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) exchange Internet traffic between their networks. By exchanging traffic at an IXP, networks can reduce costs, improve efficiency and speed, reduce latency, and better control their traffic. This is especially important in Africa, where the challenge often is the in-country interconnectivity. By allowing local players to exchange Internet traffic locally, you can often significantly reduce the amount traffic that would otherwise need to be routed outside the country, through expensive transit links.

The Asteroid IXP will be built at the Mombasa One (MBA1) iColo data centre, positioned as the Gateway to Africa". Ranjith Cherickel, CEO of iColo explains that "iColo offers state-of-the-art data centre facilities with 500m2 of IT space, designed and built with concurrent maintainability in mind." He adds: "We have had excellent support from the Kenyan Internet Service Providers (ISPs), many of whom are already present at site."

The Asteroid will commence the building of the Mombasa IXP as soon as possible. You can keep abreast with the developments of the Mombasa IXP at:http://asteroidhq.com/campaigns/ 2

If you want Asteroid to keep you posted, you can also send an email toinfo@asteroidhq.com with the subject line "Asteroid Mombasa" and we will add you to our mailing list with updates for Mombasa!

About Asteroid

Asteroid is a global interconnection platform innovator. It operates neutral Internet exchange points (IXPs) worldwide, and works with trusted parties in local markets to deliver efficient, local interconnection.

The Asteroid IXP model is a return to the original spirit of simple, efficient interconnection but built on state-of-the-art technology, lightweight and scalable architecture, and advanced toolsets.

Asteroid IXPs provide a simple, modern and cost-effective way to peer with some of the largest networks in the world. With its nimble, yet powerful design, the Asteroid platform sets a new standard for IXPs.

Contact
Nurani Nimpuno, Asteroid CCO
Email: info@asteroidhq.com
Website: https://www.asteroidhq.com/
Twitter: @Asteroidhq