Connectivity within Indian Ocean Islands (Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Reunion and Madagascar) — A case for a Regional Internet Exchange

Setting up of intelligent infrastructures to exchange traffic at regional level, on a peering or transit basis, point to the emergence of a key infrastructure element - the Regional Internet Exchange Point (RIXP). RIXP plays a key role in advancing the development of the Internet ecosystem. RIXP provides a shared physical infrastructure for ISPs and RIXP to interconnect. The deployment of a Regional Internet Exchange Point among neighborhood countries of the Indian Ocean will enable ISPs and IXPs in the region to connect together and exchange regional traffic, preferably peering at no cost, thereby reducing or eliminating “tromboning” and saving on international transit while reducing latency by avoiding regional traffic to be carried internationally. Additionally, RIXP can be efficient locations from which to offer system services. RIXP creates a competitive environment encouraging new entrants in the market. This paper therefore makes a case for the importance of a Regional Internet Exchange Point among countries of the Indian Ocean region.