INX-ZA, the Internet exchange point division of the Internet Service Provider Association (ISPA), has appointed Nokia to modernise its exchange infrastructure to offer new 400GE and expanded 100GE services to its customers across the country.
As a result, it says, businesses and Internet users can now experience faster, more resilient, and future-ready Internet connectivity in South Africa.
Internet exchanges are a critical component of the digital ecosystem enabling data to be exchanged locally and reducing dependency on expensive international bandwidth. Yet many IXPs across Africa still operate on aging platforms that lack scalability and efficiency. INX-ZA’s shift to Nokia’s solution addresses these limitations head-on, opening the door to more energy-efficient, scalable and high-density infrastructure that can evolve alongside the region’s digital ambitions.
Nokia will upgrade INX-ZA’s Internet Exchange Points in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, beginning with Johannesburg – home to JINX, Africa’s oldest Internet Exchange Point which has achieved 100% uptime since its launch in 1996. Together, Nokia and INX-ZA will expand JINX from seven to 10 data centres by year-end – deploying 30 high-performance platforms in phase one to preserve its industry-leading availability while extending its reach.
The deployment, powered by Nokia’s high-capacity 7250 Interconnect Routers and Service Router Operating System (SR OS), enables INX-ZA to offer new 400GE and expanded 100GE services for peering partners and Internet service providers (ISPs) – a capability not previously available in the region. In addition, it will augment the scale and performance of INX-ZA’s backbone to connect to different points of presence (POPs) with 400GE links.
“Upgrading to Nokia’s 400GE-ready infrastructure isn’t just about adding capacity – it’s about reimagining how South Africa connects,” says Nishal Goburdhan, INX-ZA’s GM. “With this modern, energy-efficient platform, INX-ZA can deliver faster, more reliable, and more sustainable interconnection services while maintaining the uptime and performance our community has come to expect of us. Nokia’s technology gives us the scale and capability to keep our exchanges at the forefront of global standards and power the country’s digital economy for the future.”