- Launch backed by African Union and Internet Society improves cost and speed of local traffic.
- Internet exchange sector faces cost, training and infrastructure issues, yet offers resilience and efficiency.
Background on the Mbabane Internet Exchange Association
The Mbabane Internet Exchange Association is tied to the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Mbabane, Eswatini which is also called Swaziland before. It was launched on 10 April 2014 with support from the African Union Commission and the Internet Society under the AXIS project.
The aim was to keep local traffic in country and lower reliance on overseas routes. The launch was backed by training, workshops and donated equipment. The association holds ASN number AS37696 but now appears inactive with no IP ranges or peers listed. That indicates limited activity since it was set up.
An Internet Exchange Point lets ISPs swap traffic directly, not via foreign carriers. This cuts cost, lowers latency and helps networks run smoother. Many IXPs work as not-for-profit groups owned by participants. They act like hubs in data networks.
In Africa, reliance on overseas links makes traffic slow and costly. IXPs help improve service, cut cost and support local hosting and content growth. For example, AXIS helped set up IXPs in Eswatini, Burundi and Namibia with funding and training.
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Mbabane Internet Exchange Association: Status and challenges
The Mbabane exchange helped train engineers and reduce cost, but its ASN shows no active IPs or peers now. That suggests challenges remain. The main hurdles are lack of continued funding, infrastructure cost and lack of local content to drive traffic.
IXP setups need physical hardware, power, skilled staff. Without that, they struggle. Eswatini is small and may not have enough traffic to keep the exchange busy. Also training gained in 2013–14 may not be enough to keep drive going.
Innovation and future potential
Even if inactive now, the exchange played a role in national ICT growth. It opened space for e-government, local hosting, apps and services. Training given to engineers raised skills. The IXP model remains useful as local traffic grows.
If more ISPs join later, it could restart. The basic model of local peering still applies. New tools, cheaper switches, open-source software and container data-centres may cut cost. The idea that local traffic stays local still has value. Eswatini stands to gain if the association reactivates with more hosting and participants.
