The Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa) has finally put out a request for proposals for interested providers to host an Internet exchange in Durban.

Potential providers have until the end of the month to submit proposals. This will be the first exchange in the city, with Johannesburg (Jinx) and Cape Town (Cinx) both hosting exchanges.

Internet exchanges encourage the local routing of Internet traffic not destined for international locations and provide redundancy for an Internet provider’s own links. They also provide shorter routes between providers, increasing service performance for users.

The Durban Internet Exchange (Dinx) will allow service providers to save costs by interconnecting their networks and exchanging traffic, says Ispa GM Ant Brooks.

“Cinx and Jinx both process massive volumes of traffic, with more than 30 providers peering with Jinx and 16 peering with Cinx. With Internet traffic volumes surging in Durban in recent years there is a clear need for the city to have an Internet exchange of its own,” says Brooks.

Ispa has been mulling a Durban facility for some time.

“Once Dinx goes live, providers in Durban will be able to enjoy benefits such as improved performance for traffic within the city, cost savings and an extra layer of redundancy from Dinx,” says Brooks.

Companies hoping to host the exchange must be able to offer enterprise-class data centres with 24-hour on-site access for all Dinx users, fully redundant air-conditioning systems, fully redundant uninterrupted power supplies and power reticulation systems, back-up generators, and fire protection systems.

The host must be able to provide sufficient space for four server racks, growing to six over a three-year period, with a right of refusal for a further two. The winning bidder must be willing to commit to a 24-month contract with an option for Ispa to renew for a further 12 months. — Staff reporter, TechCentral