Nigeria’s data centres record 15% increase- Investigation

….As IXPN migrates network to IPv6
The clamour for organisations to host their Internet servers at home has received a boost as organizations in the country have in recent times started relocating their servers from abroad.

Investigations revealed that relocation of website servers by private organizations to Nigerian data centres has recorded some 15 per cent increase over the past one year due merely to better understanding of connectivity, presence of international content players in Nigeria among others.

Commenting on the development, Managing Director, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Muhammed Rudman, said the movement can be seen with the increase in business activities of data centre operators, as well as the springing up of new commercial data centre operators who encourage their customers to hoist with them by charging on local currency.

“Big Data centre operators’ charges are based on dollars, which means you are expected to pay the equivalent in naira, but, these new data centre operators charge in naira without the clause of reviewing with change in foreign exchange rate,” he added.

He mentioned that following the official announcement by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) of the depletion of the Internet Protocol Version Four (IPv4),

the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has successfully migrated its network to the Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6), which means that members who have migrated to IPv6 can now come on board with their IPv6 as they have been provided with a platform that would enable such to operate.

Rudman said IXPN members, such as Web4africa, MainOne and Google presently exchange IPv6 content at the exchange, adding that, “Apart from giving our members the platform to experience enhanced connectivity, the implementation of IPv6 on our network will place Nigeria on the international map where other countries that have implemented IPv6 are placed.”

He attributed the increase in website server relocation as well as domiciling it locally to an understanding of connectivity by organizations.

“This means that if an organization’s server is located in the country, it allows for faster service,” he added.

He lauded the efforts of office of local content under National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), which have resulted in relocation of Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to Galaxy Backbone, which helps to keep local traffic local.

Managing Director, Medallion Communications, a data centre operator, Ike Nnamani, noted that their business has experienced an upsurge in the past one year, following increased hosting activities in Nigeria by international Internet content providers.

“Google has increased its hosting business in the country and another big international content provider will go live next month.

Organizations doing business with them will have no option than to peer with them here,” he added.

He decried the concentration of hosting services in Lagos; and called for the spreading of the service to other geographical locations of the country.

Chief executive officer of Steineng Nigeria Ltd, Engr. Sam Adeleke, urged data centre operators to consider multiplicity of location of server stressing that,

“Multiplicity of location of server is where most of the hosting companies abroad provider multiple location in case there is disaster in one location they will move to another location without their customers suffering downtime.

It will be recalled the official announcement by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) of the depletion of the Internet Protocol Version Four (IPv4).

The managing director IXPN said the Exchange successfully migrating its network to the Internet Protocol Version Six (IPv6), an evolutionary upgrade of the Internet protocol (IP) is born out of concern that the demand for IP addresses would exceed the available supply.

The depletion of the IPv4, he said, led to the setting up of an IPv6 council in Nigeria whose sole responsibility was to ensure that the operators and Nigeria as a whole migrates to the use of IPv6.