A Partnership between INX-ZA, MetroFibre & Hetzner is good news for SA’s Internet

by Anneke van Aswegen, Content Marketer, Hetzner

[Tuesday, 9 May 2016] – Hetzner, the second host of the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX), is the first host to receive a 10Gbps connection to the exchange point in Samrand. This local internet milestone offers Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet users reduced web latencies by routing traffic locally via JINX instead of through expensive long-distance links.

“Due to the high traffic volumes and unprecedented demand, the JINX link at Hetzner’s Data Centre Park in Samrand has already been upgraded to 10 Gbps within the first month. This is a resounding confirmation that the exchange point is widely accepted by the ISP community, and that alternate peering locations benefit both end-users and network operators”, says Nishal Goburdhan, INX-ZA Manager.

As an existing Hetzner customer, MetroFibre Networx is now also connected to the JINX node to enable high speed, low latency connectivity for their customers. “Our partnership with INX-ZA and Hetzner allows our customers the opportunity to leverage the geolocation benefits the JINX node provides”, says Gary Webster, head of sales for MetroFibre Networx.

The geolocation capabilities of the JINX node allows MetroFibre to seamlessly connect their customers at multiple locations and sites by pinpointing a user’s location and then intelligently routing their application requests to the nearest data centre on their core network. “Distributed peering creates better traffic routing options for the Internet community, regardless of where a particular ISP is located”, adds Webster.

MetroFibre Networx is a key Point of Presence within Hetzner’s core network. “The move to link into JINX is the extension of an invaluable relationship with Hetzner as our partner and a sign of our faith in the services they provide from their Samrand Data Centre Park,” concludes Webster.

Internet exchange points enable ISPs to interconnect their networks so that domestic Internet users benefit from faster connections and more efficient access to online services. Network operators benefit from lower costs, resulting in more affordable bandwidth which is crucial for the development of the Internet.

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About JINX

JINX began as a project of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) and is now independently managed by INX-ZA which currently operates the only community-run, public Internet exchanges in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The Johannesburg exchange point has provided continuous, uninterrupted services to users since June 1996.

About MetroFibre Networx

MetroFibre owns and manages South Africa’s first globally compliant Carrier Ethernet 2.0 (CE 2.0) open access fibre network, connecting over 60 cloud, application, voice and Internet service providers with their customers. Their CE 2.0 Carrier Class open access fibre network with ultra-high speed and low latency connections help businesses to gain the maximum value from cutting-edge technologies and is ideally suited to support the most demanding cloud applications, next generation data centre connectivity, high speed file transfer and business continuity solutions.

MetroFibre Networx is a MEF Forum member and is licensed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to provide electronic communications services as well as electronic communications network services.

Media enquiries: Gary Webster, MetroFibre Networx

Contact details: 072 786 4433, garywebster@MetroFibre.co.za

About Hetzner

Hetzner is a leading player in the South African web hosting environment. Established in 1999, the company has grown in stature and expertise, currently servicing over 390 000 active domains.  It was founded with the vision of providing reliable web hosting solutions coupled with outstanding customer support to the SME and mid-corporate markets.

By consistently delivering exemplary customer service and cost-effective web hosting, dedicated servers, colocation and custom hosting solutions, Hetzner continues to grow its market share, making it the largest company to specialise in web hosting in South Africa.

Visit our website for more information: www.hetzner.co.za

Media enquiries: Anneke van Aswegen & Athena Turner

Contact details: anneke.van.aswegen@hetzner.co.za or at@hetzner.co.za