The 10th edition of the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) will take place in August this year. This annual event will be organized in collaboration with Rogers Capital. Once again, it will serve as a platform for the development of the Internet in Africa. The main providers of service and content infrastructures will be gathered for the occasion.
African Forum on Peering and Interconnection in August in Mauritius
AfPIF is an annual event that serves as a platform for Internet development in the African region. This year, the 10th edition of the African Peering and Interconnection Forum will be held in Mauritius. The main infrastructure, service and content providers will therefore meet in August. Together they are expected to work on solutions to improve network interconnection, reduce connectivity costs and increase the number of Internet users in the region.
More than 400 participants expected at this forum
It is now 9 years since this forum was first organized. Its primary objective was to raise awareness of the fact that most of Africa’s Internet traffic originates from or leaves the continent. Last year, more than 400 participants attended the ninth edition of AfPIF in South Africa. The event was attended by international, regional and sub-regional transport, transit and content providers. In addition, some 20 Internet Exchange Point (IXP) operators also attended. This year, the organizers expect an increase in participation.
Rogers Capital-Technology will co-host the event
Dev Hurkoo, managing director of Rogers Capital-Technology, says he is delighted “to welcome AfPIF 2019 to Mauritius”. Moreover, this year’s edition coincides with the celebration of its 10 years of existence. Thus, he explains that “as a diverse and sophisticated business hub in the region, we believe Mauritius can foster new business opportunities for AfPIF delegates…”
The only event in Africa focused on Internet development
Michuki Mwangi, Senior Development Officer for Africa at the Internet Society, says that “removing barriers to the availability and distribution of content will have a significant impact on the Internet in Africa. Indeed, he believes that this should greatly improve the accessibility of international content. It is important to note that AfPIF is the only event in Africa that focuses on Internet development through relationship building. He adds that this forum then plays a key role “in bringing different parties together to increase local traffic exchanges within the continent.”
Locating 80% of Africa’s Internet traffic by 2020
The African Peering and Interconnection Forum also aims to achieve certain objectives. For example, locating as much as 80% of Internet traffic by next year. In support of this, Packet Clearing House reports that Africa is currently experiencing the world’s fastest growth in domestic bandwidth. According to its data, the continent has gone from 410 Gbps to 786 Gbps in the last 12 months, an increase of 92%. It is an exciting time for Africa and they are looking forward to building on this momentum in Mauritius.
Photo credit: AfPIF
