PTCL launches first neutral Internet Exchange in Pakistan powered by DE-CIX

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the largest integrated Information Communication Technology (ICT) company of Pakistan, and DE-CIX, the world’s leading Internet Ex­change (IX) operator, celebrated Monday the inauguration of ‘Paki­stan Internet Exchange (PIE) pow­ered by DE-CIX’, the first carrier-neutral IX in the country.

Housed in the PTCL data cen­ter in Karachi, the IX is operated by DE-CIX under the DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS) model and built on DE-CIX’s award-winning intercon­nection infrastructure. The inter­connection platform offers local peering, as well as remote access to DE-CIX Frankfurt (Germany), one of the largest IXs in the world. PIE powered by DE-CIXis set to serve as a hub for regional con­nectivity, enabling local networks low-latency interconnection and the localization of global content, while increasing network stability, scalability, and security.

Speaking at the occasion, the chief guest, Dr Umar Saif, Federal Minister IT & Telecommunication said, “Pakistan is a massive digital market, with an internet user-base larger than the population of Italy. Over the past few years, we have made significant strides in advanc­ing fiber connectivity. We got two fiber loops from Kashgar to Rawal­pindi, further extended to Karachi by PTCL. Additionally, multiple submarine cables making landfall in Karachi further enhance our connectivity. Now, PTCL Business Solution’s carrier neutral Internet Exchange, managed by a tier 1 IX operator, DE-CIX, is up and run­ning and generates exciting pros­pects for localized content host­ing from leading platforms like YouTube, Netflix and TikTok. The content cached and routed from Pakistan can seamlessly reach oth­er markets, positioning us as the regional digital connectivity hub. It can generate annual revenues, ranging from $200-400 million through transit traffic to substan­tially add to our economy.”

“We are thrilled to collaborate with DE-CIX to bring this state-of-the-art interconnection facility to Pakistan,” said Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solu­tions Officer at PTCL & Ufone 4G. He further stated, “As the largest integrated ICT company in Paki­stan, we are committed to advanc­ing the country’s digital infra­structure to support widespread digitalization, and this collabora­tion is a significant step forward in achieving that goal. Our nation­wide network and DE-CIX’s in­terconnection infrastructure will serve as a foundation to enhance Internet experience of our cus­tomers while facilitating the local hosting of content by international platforms. We believe this partner­ship will not only drive digital en­ablement across the country but also help accelerate the growth of Pakistan’s digital economy.” “As one of the most populous countries in Asia and with Inter­net usage growing extremely fast, it is clear that Pakistan needs lo­cal interconnection. The Pakistan Internet Exchange powered by DE-CIX will prove itself to be key to unlocking the economic po­tential of excellent Internet con­nectivity for the country. The IX will enable national networks to serve world-class Internet con­nectivity and also attract more international Internet and cloud service providers to do business in Pakistan,allowing the develop­ment of a vibrant local digital eco­system,” commented Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX. “In this way, the people in Pakistan can enjoy the best access to local and interna­tional information, content, and services. We at DE-CIX want to serve this great demand for high speed, high quality, stable, and resilient Internet connectivity to guarantee a seamless experi­ence for end users and businesses across country,” Ivanov continued.