LINX and Asteroid collaborate to boost interconnectivity in Africa

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) and Internet Exchange incubator Asteroid have embarked on a significant collaboration to strengthen interconnectivity in Africa. In a strategic move poised to benefit the region greatly, both organisations have agreed to jointly facilitate the transition of customer networks from Asteroid’s Mombasa and Nairobi hubs to LINX's interconnection points by the year’s end.

Leading the charge, Asteroid CEO, Remco van Mook, hailed the partnership as a testament to their accomplishments in East Africa over the past five years. He emphasised that Asteroid’s entry reshaped the interconnectivity landscape, allowing for enhanced networking solutions.

This transition, fully supported by both companies, promises a seamless journey for Asteroid customers, ensuring they arrive smoothly at their new connectivity hubs in Mombasa and Nairobi. This evolution will see technical backing from both Asteroid and LINX stakeholders during the transition period.

Jennifer Holmes, the CEO of LINX, expressed enthusiasm about the future collaboration, emphasising their commitment to building on Asteroid’s success in Kenya. She articulated the mission to foster interconnectivity growth for the benefit of both the local communities and the global ecosystem.

Asteroid users will enjoy the option to either maintain their network stature or expand further with newfound opportunities. This is made possible through access to global peers across LINX's UK, US, and soon-to-be Ghana locations. Moreover, networks will benefit from LINX’s round-the-clock engineering expertise and supplementary services such as LINX Private VLAN and the distinctive Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS).

The organisations pledge a collaborative effort to effectively communicate each transition phase to all stakeholders. This partnership aims to scale new heights as Asteroid plans to conclude its Kenya operations by the end of 2025.