Italian Internet exchange targets African ISP market

TI Sparkle, the International Services arm of Telecom Italia Group says its new new partnership with the world’s leading Internet exchange provider, DE-CIX), who will establish an Internet exchange (IX) in Sicily Hub will enable them tap peering opportunities among African ISPs.

The new TI Sparkle facility is located closer to North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East than any other European peering point. It is also connected to all cable landing stations in Sicily and served by the TI Sparkle tier 1-grade IP Transit service, Seabonem the companies announced.

“Our partnership with DE-CIX and their new IX node in our Sicily Hub is the most important milestone in the creation of a massive IP gravitational center in the middle of the Mediterranean,” says Alessandro Talotta, TI Sparkle CEO. “We will be able to better serve ISPs in the area, including Africa and the Middle East, by bringing worldwide content directly to their doorsteps. The presence of DE-CIX’s leading global carrier-neutral Internet exchange as well as the most relevant global content providers that deliver media, gaming, e-commerce, social networks and video platforms, make Sicily Hub the best location for top-quality and cost-efficient public and private peering in the region.”

DE-CIX says the facility will provide premium IX services to all kinds of networks and operates numerous carrier-neutral and data center-neutral Internet exchanges around the world, including its flagship exchange, DE-CIX Frankfurt.

 DE-CIX’s new exchange at Sicily Hub was designed to allow carriers that land their IP backbones in Sicily to directly interconnect with each other and to other providers that have a presence in the facility. These other providers include some of the world’s most well-known and largest content players, the company says.

 ”There is an intense need in the region to bring content closer to the end users,” Harald A. Summa, DE-CIX President adds. “The powerful combination of Sicily Hub and DE-CIX’s APOLLON platform will support Internet growth in this region so that end users will have a better Internet experience, better security and a lower risk of network outages.”