NTT Data Hits 400Gbps Peering At JINX

At the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX), NTT Data asserts that it is the first network provider in Africa to set up active 400Gbps peering.

Africa’s oldest internet exchange, JINX, was founded in 1996 and is run by INX-ZA, a division of ISPA, the Internet Service Providers’ Association, where it recently upgraded to 400Gbps thanks to the installation of high-speed dark fibre and 400GE ports supplied in collaboration with Nokia, while NTT DATA runs the NTT DATA Broadband Network (AS20011), a crucial aggregator for content providers, enterprise platforms, and access networks. 

With a presence across several data centres in Johannesburg, JINX, which was founded in 1996 as Africa’s first internet exchange point, continues to be a pillar of the region’s digital infrastructure.

The Internet Exchange Point of South Africa (INX ZA), a branch of the Internet Service Providers’ Association, runs JINX.

The corporation claims that as the operator of the NTT Data Broadband Network and a broadband network aggregator, it is essential to the connection of enterprise platforms, content providers, and access networks. 

It states that due to rising internet penetration, growing submarine cable capacity, and the quick uptake of digital services, Africa continues to be one of the world’s fastest-growing digital marketplaces.

In this regard, it emphasizes that sustained investment in high-performance exchange infrastructure is necessary to promote innovation, economic growth, and digital inclusion throughout the continent.

From the standpoint of the business, the 400Gbps peering milestone represents both the expansion of Africa’s internet peering ecosystem and an improvement in NTT Data’s network capability.

The report also indicates that South Africa’s internet exchange environment is functioning at a level equivalent to top international markets, meeting the increasing need for high-capacity, low-latency connectivity. 

JC Burger, director of infrastructure engineering and operations of NTT Data in South Africa, states that “Africa’s internet traffic is growing rapidly, and the demand for scalable, resilient, and low-latency connectivity continues to increase.”

“Building 400Gbps peering at JINX is a strategic investment that supports the long-term growth of Africa’s digital economy while strengthening our ability to deliver high-performance connectivity.”

The corporation states that the upgrade offers local businesses better performance during periods of high demand, more capacity to sustain traffic growth, and improved reliability across digital services. 

In conclusion and according to NTT DATA, the 400Gbps peering milestone is said to improve speed and stability during peak demand, which scales capacity for data-intensive applications like streaming, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, and then this puts South Africa’s internet exchange environment on par with top international markets to compete with them.