Announcing the 4th annual African Peering and Interconnection Forum

Fourth Annual African Peering and Interconnection Forum to Focus on Policy Aspects of IXPs, Content, and Cross-Border Interconnections in Africa 

Internet Society to host AfPIF 2013 in Casablanca, Morocco, 3 – 5 September

AfPIF 2013 accorded High Patronage by the Minister of Industry, Trade, and New Technologies

The fourth annual African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), organized by the Internet Society, will be held 3-5 September 2013 in Casablanca, Morocco.  A unique regional forum, AfPIF facilitates discussions on African Internet infrastructure challenges, including terrestrial capacity issues, national and regional Internet Exchange Point (IXP) development, local content development, measures to lower connectivity costs, and international peering. The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and New Technologies of Morocco has accorded his High Patronage on this event.

The three-day program brings together key stakeholders, including Internet service and content providers, IXP operators, research and education networks, government network managers, regulators and policymakers to share experiences and advance peering and interconnection arrangements.  The theme of AfPIF 2013 is “Policy Implementation and the Regional Content Factor,” and the forum will address region-to-region policy, tapping into terrestrial cable potential and traffic management needs, as well as content issues that are critical components of transit deficits.

“Nearly all peering and interconnection agreements are forged at regional and global peering forums such as AfPIF. We are pleased to offer this important event for the fourth consecutive year and provide an opportunity for the business and operational community to work together to augment Internet infrastructure and services in Africa,” said Dawit Bekele, Internet Society Regional Bureau Director for Africa. “AfPIF offers the ideal venue for discussions and ideas on how to implement more efficient and cost effective local, regional, and international interconnection and peering strategies.”

For more information on sponsorships and program details, visit http://www.internetsociety.org/events/afpif-2013-3-5-september-2013

Sentech shows support for Open Peering

SENTECH, the signal distributor for the majority of South Africa’s broadcasters, is now live on peering platform, NAPAfrica.  Lex van Wyk, chief executive officer of Teraco says, “SENTECH will now be able to distribute content to an ever-growing list of peering members already housed within the facility.”  

The move is a significant first for the South African government.  “With SENTECH joining the open peering movement we’re hoping that this will lead to further improvements in the distribution of key content to the end user – specifically within communities requiring health related and educational content.”

Dr Setumo Mohapi, Chief Executive Officer of SENTECH says that the company’s use of NAPAfrica for peering and online content distribution is an integral part of its approach to enabling universal access to multimedia content through open access platforms. “We have ambitious plans for the years ahead, and we’re pleased with our decision to opt for neutral facility offering access to a growing community of businesses as well as cost effective peering.” 

Peering, and the importance thereof is a critical element in today’s internet infrastructure. “The growth and success of peering points can be directly linked to additional broadcast content being widely and easily available. With this progression, and the cost-reduction involved, we hope to ultimately see a direct impact on the overall economic growth across the continent. Peering is directly related to the price of internet transit, which has decreased substantially in regions where successful exchanges have been established.

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are vital elements of Internet infrastructure that enable networks to exchange traffic with each other.  Multiple internet service and content providers connect to a single exchange creating the potential for a range of technical and economic benefits for the Internet community.  Local and international content providers rely on the availability of high-speed, low-cost connections in order to guarantee the quality of service to the end subscriber at a low cost entry point.