Botswana Internet Exchange
Encyclopedia
The Botswana Internet Exchange was established in October 2005 by 8 ISPs
. This allows them to peer
, which circumvents the costly earlier intercommunication arrangements. This is a major milestone in the development of Internet
services in Botswana
, as it will improve quality of service and stimulate the growth of local content and Internet usage in the country.
Internet Service Providers Association (BISPA) Secretary, Katlego Nkwe,
says that the Botswana Internet Exchange (BINX) should help the country
develop in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector and
assist in bridging the digital divide between first and third world
countries.
Nkwe explained that with BINX fully developed and in the latter stages
of testing, Botswana websites would be able to communicate between each
other more efficiently, as the speed of access will be greatly improved.
The Exchange has been set up by the BISPA, which is made up of eight
local ISPs and the government’s Department of Information Technology (DIT).
“The ISPs have contributed the funds to build the Exchange and each of
the members has made its link to BINX. Some have made wireless
connections, while others have opted to use Botswana Telecommunications
Corporation’s (BTC) terrestrial links,” she said.
“This will make websites being hosted in Botswana much faster to load as
information would no longer need to travel to different nodes in
overseas countries anymore. The local web traffic stays in the country.”
It is hoped that with BINX now in place, e-commerce sites will be
stimulated, as the quality of the ISPs service will be highly improved.”
For example Internet Banking, if hosted in Botswana, would become much
faster,” she explained.
The exchange is based at the Global Bytes Group’s premises - one of the
BISPA members. There is still the need to bridge the rural-urban digital
divide in Botswana and make information technology more accessible and
useful for the people in the remote areas of the country. “Some of the
challenges still to be overcome are of infrastructure, power
availability, and BTC’s prohibitive tariffs,” she said.
The next step is to enhance regional communication by setting up an
Internet Exchange for SADC countries. The Botswana Telecommunications Authority
(BTA) hosted the workshop and the second and last phase of
WSIS will be held in Tunis, Tunisia in November.
BINX Members currently comprise the following:
Botsnet
Broadband Botswana Internet
Department of Information Technology (GoB)
Bytes Technology Group
Global Broadband Solutions
Hi-Performance Systems
Microtek
OPQNet
VBN Services
Verizonbusiness
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
. This allows them to peer
Peering
In computer networking, peering is a voluntary interconnection of administratively separate Internet networks for the purpose of exchanging traffic between the customers of each network. The pure definition of peering is settlement-free or "sender keeps all," meaning that neither party pays the...
, which circumvents the costly earlier intercommunication arrangements. This is a major milestone in the development of Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
services in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, as it will improve quality of service and stimulate the growth of local content and Internet usage in the country.
Internet Service Providers Association (BISPA) Secretary, Katlego Nkwe,
says that the Botswana Internet Exchange (BINX) should help the country
develop in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector and
assist in bridging the digital divide between first and third world
countries.
Nkwe explained that with BINX fully developed and in the latter stages
of testing, Botswana websites would be able to communicate between each
other more efficiently, as the speed of access will be greatly improved.
The Exchange has been set up by the BISPA, which is made up of eight
local ISPs and the government’s Department of Information Technology (DIT).
“The ISPs have contributed the funds to build the Exchange and each of
the members has made its link to BINX. Some have made wireless
connections, while others have opted to use Botswana Telecommunications
Corporation’s (BTC) terrestrial links,” she said.
“This will make websites being hosted in Botswana much faster to load as
information would no longer need to travel to different nodes in
overseas countries anymore. The local web traffic stays in the country.”
It is hoped that with BINX now in place, e-commerce sites will be
stimulated, as the quality of the ISPs service will be highly improved.”
For example Internet Banking, if hosted in Botswana, would become much
faster,” she explained.
The exchange is based at the Global Bytes Group’s premises - one of the
BISPA members. There is still the need to bridge the rural-urban digital
divide in Botswana and make information technology more accessible and
useful for the people in the remote areas of the country. “Some of the
challenges still to be overcome are of infrastructure, power
availability, and BTC’s prohibitive tariffs,” she said.
The next step is to enhance regional communication by setting up an
Internet Exchange for SADC countries. The Botswana Telecommunications Authority
Botswana Telecommunications Authority
The Botswana Telecommunications Authority is part of Botswana's Ministry of Transport and Communications. The Minister appoints all five board members, who serve on a part-time basis. The BTA is mandated to promote the development and provision of efficient telecommunications and broadcasting...
(BTA) hosted the workshop and the second and last phase of
WSIS will be held in Tunis, Tunisia in November.
BINX Members currently comprise the following:
Botsnet
Broadband Botswana Internet
Department of Information Technology (GoB)
Bytes Technology Group
Global Broadband Solutions
Hi-Performance Systems
Microtek
OPQNet
VBN Services
Verizonbusiness