VENTURES AFRICA – Talks about regional integration and moves to boost intra-African trading have become popular on the continent as stakeholders fully realize the economic goodies embedded in a totally connected Africa; in this spirit, members of the East African Community (EAC) are gearing up to the launch of a regional East African Internet Exchange Point (EAXIP), scheduled to go live next year.

EAXIP, as championed by the East African Communications Organization (EACO), will interconnect the EAC member countries via internet links in order to keep the region’s internet traffic local and further reduce the cost of internet services. The exchange point provides a physical network access area through which major network providers connect their networks and exchange traffic. With an exchange link of this kind, costs associated with traffic exchange between Internet Service Providers will be reduced as well.

Joseph Tiampati, ICT Principal Secretary disclosed some information suggesting that the countries have already started drafting policies, regulations and the necessary operational framework to ensure the smooth execution and running of the initiative which will first be implemented in five EAC countries before it is extended to seven other countries within the region.

“In a bid to support the growth of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) within the country and beyond, the government of Kenya has already put in place several measures to promote the growth of electronic commerce and by extension, the growth of e-government services,” he said. Read more