IXP & Date Center Set Up To Boost Reliability Of Internet Connectivity: Dr Saif

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif, Monday said that Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has established its first-ever carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and Data Center to boost the reliability of internet connectivity in the country

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2024) Caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif, Monday said that Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has established its first-ever carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and Data Center to boost the reliability of internet connectivity in the country.

Addressing at the operational ceremony of ‘Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE) powered by DE-CIX’, the first carrier- neutral IX in the country, Dr. Saif underscored the significance of the telecom and Information Technology industry in Pakistan. He said: “Today is a monumental day for the Pakistan telecom and IT industry."

Three important milestones have been achieved today in collaboration with PTCL, SCO, PTA, De CIX, PEACE Cable, and China Mobile, he added.

The minister said, we have reached an agreement with China to route its Internet traffic through Pakistan, thereby making Pakistan a regional hub for connectivity. This strategic move is expected to generate substantial revenue for Internet transit traffic in Pakistan, he added.

Dr. Saif revealed that PTCL would be collaborating with DE CIX, a German data center, and IXP operator, to manage the operation of this new data center. He emphasized that partnering with a world-class data center operator would enable Pakistan to introduce super-scaling cloud services such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure to the country.

Additionally, it would serve as a local content hub for popular services like YouTube, TikTok, and Netflix.

with these advancements, the minister expressed optimism that Pakistan's internet users could now access services locally, positioning the country to become a hub of regional connectivity.

Over the past few years, he said, we have made significant strides in advancing fiber connectivity. We got two fiber loops from Kashgar to Rawalpindi, further extended to Karachi by PTCL, he added.

Moreover, he said multiple submarine cables making landfall in Karachi that further enhancing our connectivity.

Now, PTCL Business Solution's carrier neutral data center, managed by a tier 1 data center operator, DE-CIX is up and running and generates exciting prospects for localized content hosting from leading platforms like YouTube, Netflix and TikTok. The content cached and routed from Pakistan can seamlessly reach other markets, positioning us as the regional digital connectivity hub. It can generate annual revenue, ranging from $200-400 million through transit traffic to substantially add to our economy, he said. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), is the largest integrated Information Communication Technology (ICT) company of Pakistan and DE-CIX, is the world’s leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator. Housed in the PTCL data center in Karachi, the IX is operated by DE-CIX under the DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS) model and built on DE-CIX’s award-winning interconnection infrastructure.

The interconnection platform offers local peering, as well as remote access to DE-CIX Frankfurt (Germany), one of the largest IXs in the world. PIE powered by DE-CIX is set to serve as a hub for regional connectivity, enabling local networks low-latency interconnection and the localization of global content, while increasing network stability, scalability, and security.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with DE-CIX to bring this state-of-the-art interconnection facility to Pakistan,” said Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solutions Officer at PTCL & Ufone 4G.

He further said, “As the largest integrated ICT company in Pakistan, we are committed to advancing the country’s digital infrastructure to support widespread digitalization, and this collaboration is a significant step forward in achieving that goal."

The country’s nationwide network and DE-CIX’s interconnection infrastructure will serve as a foundation to enhance the Internet experience of our customers while facilitating the local hosting of content by international platforms, he said. "We believe this partnership will not only drive digital enablement across the country but also help accelerate the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy, " he said.

"As one of the most populous countries in Asia and with Internet usage growing extremely fast, Pakistan needs local interconnection. The Pakistan Internet Exchange powered by DE-CIX will prove itself to be key to unlocking the economic potential of excellent Internet connectivity for the country.

The IX will enable national networks to serve world-class Internet connectivity and attract more international Internet and cloud service providers to do business in Pakistan, allowing the development of a vibrant local digital ecosystem, " commented Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX.

"In this way, the people in Pakistan can enjoy the best access to local and international information, content, and services. We at DE-CIX want to serve this great demand for high speed, high quality, stable, and resilient Internet connectivity to guarantee a seamless experience for end users and businesses across the country,” Ivanov said.

Pakistan Internet Exchange will be joining such success stories as the UAE-IX powered by DE-CIX in Dubai, whose growth and success over the last twelve years has led to it being recognized as an important international Internet hub.

The DaaS program include a set of services – such as installation, maintenance, provisioning, marketing, and sales support – designed for digital infrastructure operators to create their own IX and interconnection platform, fully operated by DE-CIX. It delivers the technical set-up needed for an Internet Exchange as a fully pre-configured and standardized “DE-CIX in a box” solution.