De-CIX will establish interconnection platforms across Africa through its DaaS (De-CIX as a Service) partner program. DE-CIX has established strategic partnerships with the Rack Centre data center in Lagos, Nigeria, as well as with the ISP and hosting provider UNITED in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to create the Africa Congo Internet Exchange (ACIX) and with the Libyan International Telecom Company (LITC) in Tripoli.

By the end of 2022, all three new African platforms will be available to their respective markets, delivering international capabilities and interconnection services, including cloud connectivity. In addition, the partners plan to extend the reach of their platforms to other African countries: Cameroon, Congo, the Republic of Central Africa, Chad, Niger, and Sudan.

According to the German company, the first three locations are strategically chosen. Nigeria, the most populous country and the biggest economy in Africa, is a major strategic interconnection hub for the continent. Offering a robust local interconnection infrastructure, it can serve a growing domestic demand closer to the end users. Internet and mobile usage are on the rise, as well as the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Nigeria is also home to Nollywood, a large media and entertainment industry. Due to Nigeria's six international submarine cables and two more due by 2023, it offers a low-latency route to Europe through Lisbon, located on the West Coast of Africa.

Located between two of the most densely populated regions of the African continent, Kinshasa (DRC) is strategically located. Creating a connectivity bridge between the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Indian Ocean on the east, the new platform will, over time, put Kinshasa at the heart of an equatorial connectivity corridor, where networks can exchange data and store content with a significantly reduced latency.

Lybia is located on the southern shores of the Mediterranean, and its coastline is the longest of any African country bordering the Mediterranean. Three submarine cables have already landed on Libyan shores, and a fourth is slated to land in 2024. Those routes connect the east and west Libyan coast with Europe and Asia, providing the shortest route to Africa.

DE-CIX-as-a-Service is a turnkey solution that enables data center operators and other third parties to operate an interconnection fabric and to build an ecosystem of connectivity. In 2022 and beyond, the Frankfurt based company plans to open more locations in various regions and metro markets on the African continent.

Photo credit: Kaysha