DE-CIX, the Internet Exchange (IX) operator, together with the NGO ‘Internet pour tous’ (Internet For All) and UNITED S.A., an Internet connectivity and web hosting provider based in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo – DRC), have announced that ACIX (the Africa Congo Internet Exchange) has expanded to an additional data centre presence in OADC Texaf’s Kinshasa FIH1 facility.
With this move, ACIX becomes the first distributed IX in the DRC. The placement in the neutral and state-of-the-art colocation data centre marks an important step in strengthening the digital infrastructure ecosystem of the DRC by enabling improved local Internet traffic exchange, reduced latency, enhanced network resilience, and broader interconnection opportunities for the national and regional Internet community.
Established in 2023, ACIX powered by DE-CIX is designed as a neutral Internet Exchange environment open to all licensed operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), cloud providers, content providers, enterprises, financial institutions, academic networks, and international carriers operating in the DRC and the wider region. ACIX is operated by DE-CIX on behalf of ‘Internet pour tous’, as part of the DE-CIX-as-a-Service (DaaS) program.
The NGO plays a central role in supporting the development and coordination of the ACIX initiative as a neutral ecosystem platform intended to promote inclusive interconnection and digital ecosystem growth across the country. Through the IX, networks from equatorial Africa are able to exchange data with other networks at reduced latency (reaction time), improving the performance of content and applications, from education to Internet banking.
Digital opportunities for equatorial Africa
“ACIX is more than an Internet Exchange; it is foundational digital infrastructure for the future of Central Africa,” says Hussein Ibrahim, CEO of UNITED SA. “Strong digital ecosystems are built on strong interconnection. ACIX represents an important step toward a more connected and digitally empowered region, where data can remain local, networks become more resilient, and innovation can scale across borders.”
“As a neutral infrastructure provider, our role is to enable open interconnection and support the development of the broader digital ecosystem,” said Mohammed Bouhelal, Managing Director and Director, Business Development of OADC Texaf DC. “Hosting ACIX within a carrier-neutral environment contributes to creating a trusted platform where all ecosystem participants can interconnect on equal terms.”
“DE-CIX is proud to support ‘Internet pour tous’ and UNITED S.A. in the expansion of ACIX and the development of a distributed, data center and carrier neutral Internet Exchange for the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” said Marco Brandstaetter, Global Program Manager for DE-CIX as a Service at DE-CIX. “The integration of OADC Texaf’s newly built Kinshasa facility will enable additional networks to connect to the exchange and benefit from improved connectivity. ACIX is creating digital opportunities for the DRC and equatorial Africa by aggregating networks and enabling low latency and resilient local data exchange.”
ACIX powered by DE-CIX bridges countries to bring African networks closer together
Open Access Data Centres (OADC) is Africa’s fastest-growing data center company and operates a growing network of carrier-neutral data centers across the country, designed to support the development of open, interconnected digital ecosystems. OADC Texaf provides a carrier-neutral and open-access hosting environment for the ACIX infrastructure within its Kinshasa data center campus.
Kinshasa, one of the most populous cities in Africa, is strategically located between the two most densely populated regions of the African continent. Forming an interconnection bridge between the neighboring countries from the Atlantic on the west to the Indian Ocean on the east, ACIX acts as a connectivity hub for equatorial Africa, where networks can exchange data and house content with significantly improved performance. DE-CIX’s DaaS program includes a set of services – such as installation, maintenance, provisioning, marketing and sales support – designed for data center operators or other third parties to create their own Internet Exchange and interconnection platform fully operated by DE-CIX.
