Internet connectivity firm the Uganda Internet eXchange Point (UIXP) has entered into a deal with Tier-III carrier-neutral datacentre Raxio Data Centre to expand its peering network.

To achieve this, UIXP will deploy an independent IXP at Raxio and interconnect it with its existing IXP at its own facility.

Through the agreement, UIXP expects to improve its capacity, efficiency and traffic.

The IXP currently interconnects 28 networks and handles over 10 Gigabits of internet traffic daily.

Network operators in Uganda stand to benefit from the partnership which also offers them the opportunity to peer at multiple locations within the country.

UIXP issued a statement which reads: “We are excited to announce that we have signed a deal to extend our peering network into Raxio’s carrier neutral datacentre in Namanve. This will allow us to attract new peers, provide redundancy for the networks that rely on us, and make large-scale content and cloud deployments viable in Uganda.”

UIXP’s Executive Director Kyle Spencer described the partnership as a significant milestone in the development of Uganda’s internet ecosystem and emphasised the symbiotic relationship between IXPs and carrier-neutral datacentres.

Raxio Data Centre’s General Manager, James Byaruhanga, said the agreement will provide a scalable, robust, and highly available alternative location for stakeholders to peer with each other and exchange local internet traffic and content without having to break out to the global internet.

Telecom operators, ISPs, carriers, parastatals, content delivery networks, and corporate enterprises can capitalise on the development.

The agreement between the two parties will also allow network operators to exchange Internet traffic at multiple locations in the country.

Byaruhanga added that the option lowers the overall cost of network service delivery while also improving routing efficiency, and increasing fault-tolerance.

Raxio Data Centre predicted that Africa’s datacentre ecosystem could expand at a compound annual growth rate of around 14% from 2018 to 2024.

It said the growth will be driven by rapid digitisation of the African economy, an increasing wave of ICT infrastructure deployments, a growing youth population, and a rising middle class.