The NeutrINX Internet exchange is open for business as of 1 September 2011.
NeutrINX operates as a neutral and non-profit organisation, independent of affiliations with Internet and data center service providers, with the sole objective of facilitating the interconnection of data and voice networks by building and operating open access, carrier neutral Internet exchanges and associated infrastructure.
The first NeutrINX peering point to go live is hosted in the carrier neutral Ambronex data center located in Centurion. Customers may connect directly to the exchange without necessarily taking up hosting space in the host data center via multiple access options including Telkom SA, Dark Fiber Africa, other metro-ethernet operators and self provisioned wireless to a tower facility on the roof. The Centurion location is geographically situated in close proximity to the technology dense Midrand and Highveld Technopark areas as well as serving as a convenient middle ground for peering partners in Pretoria and Johannesburg to meet.
Further NeutrINX sites will go live in due course with the next geographic location under investigation being Sandton. The intent is to provide a layer two metro-ethernet backbone connecting all the peering points into a single distributed Internet exchange. According to a NeutrINX representative, “as a non-profit organisation, we are not interested in making money building Internet exchanges, but as the founders of NeutrINX we definitely have an interest in being part of the solution when it comes to reducing domestic bandwidth costs.” NeutrINX is open to discussions with any carrier neutral, open access data center operators in South Africa that might like to host a NeutrINX presence.
NeutrINX pricing is available on the exchange web site with prices starting at R1 500 per month for a 100Mbit port. As an introductory offer to seed the peering point, the company is providing 100Mbit ports at no charge during the first six months of their operation with reduced rates remaining in effect for the balance of the first year. NeutrINX is an impartial party and so ports at the exchange will be available without favour to anyone on an equitable first come first serve basis – there will be no preferential treatment for members of any particular industry body and all participants will get to fairly share in the benefits of cheaper domestic connectivity.
