Return of Cape exchange?

The Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) is in discussions to bring back the Cape Town Internet Exchange (Cinx).

Cinx was abandoned a few years ago, because of a lack of support. ISPA's working group chairman of the exchange Rob Hunter says there is a rejuvenated interest in creating network interconnects in Cape Town.

Traffic between local Internet service providers (ISPs) and ISPA members is currently being routed through the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (Jinx).

Essentially, traffic that does not leave SA can be routed through the exchange point. Cape Town ISPs will now have the opportunity to route local traffic close to home without having to build connections to Johannesburg.

The time might just be right for ISPA to implement a Cape exchange, says IDC programme manager for communications and networking Richard Hurst. He says even when there was little traffic on the old Cinx, it was a good idea.

According to Hurst, Cape-based ISPs will reap the best benefits of an exchange in their own city. "They will save financially on their own bandwidth pipe between the Cape and Joburg, and hopefully that saving will be transferred to the customer," he adds.

He says there may be many other cost savings involved, specifically between ISPs with interconnect agreements. "The gaming community is a huge consumer of bandwidth in this country, and they will hopefully see a drop in costs for the use of local traffic routing."

Things are starting to bubble over that may fundamentally change Internet in SA, says Hurst. "We are moving towards unlimited and cheap local traffic which will boost the industry in many ways. Cinx is one piece in that puzzle," he explains.

According to Hunter, the association is in discussions with a possible host for the Cape exchange, which he hopes will be concluded in the next week.

The association is also looking for a new host for Jinx, a position previously held by Internet Solutions (IS). "There is a limit on the contract period to ensure there is a level of fairness."

Hunter says it is difficult to put a figure to the kind of revenue boost a company can expect when hosting the exchange, but he points to the explosive growth IS experienced during its hosting term. "We like to think that Jinx had something to do with that."

He adds that companies can only expect to benefit from hosting the exchange. "While we can't put a figure to it, we can definitely say that any business could expect to use it advantageously."

Cisco Systems has also donated R1 million worth of switching equipment for the association to include in its networks. "We are really pleased with the sponsorship, because as a non-profit, it is difficult for us to buy the kinds of equipment we need to provide the level of service we would like," says Hunter.

ISPA has set several provisions for the prospective hosting companies, which first includes cold flooring. "We have grown over the last few years and will need to increase the capacity for the exchange," says Hunter.

Service providers will need to provide floor space for eight server racks, an increase from the five that IS currently provides. The call for proposal documents also stipulates there must be room for growth to 12 racks over a three-year period.

Other stipulations include full redundancy on air-conditioning systems, UPS and power reticulation systems, backup generators, as well as fire protection systems.

The request document also notes that ISPA's interconnection policies and Jinx costs will continue to apply to Jinx, "irrespective of the location and host". The association says hosting proposals from both ISPA members and non-members will be considered.

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