(Ecofin Agency) - Internet interconnection service provider, Asteroid International, has set up an Internet exchange point in Mombasa, a port city in southern Kenya, 440 km from the capital Nairobi. The telecom infrastructure, housed in the neutral data center of icolo, a company specializing in IT support and services, will contribute to improved Internet connectivity in Kenya and the East African sub-region, as well as to digital growth.

“Mombasa is the perfect place to interconnect the region using the world-class icolo facilities. There is a tremendous need for modern, well-run, cost-effective IXPs in Africa. Asteroid IXP will provide modern interconnection and contribute to improved Internet accessibility by lowering costs and providing better Internet performance for Internet users in the region,” said Remco van Mook, Asteroid’s CEO.

As it already hosts all the major local, regional and international submarine cables in the region, Mombasa could become, with the addition of Asteroid International's IXP, one of the largest Internet hubs in East Africa.

According to Ranjith Cherickel (pictured), icolo’s CEO “Asteroid will bring considerable experience from the interconnection space. Their ultramodern IXP solution at the icolo data centre, will not only help to significantly improve the performance between ISPs in the region but also attract new players to the country and boost the interconnection growth more broadly.”