The new node sits inside the OADC Texaf FIH1 facility in Kinshasa — a carrier-neutral colocation data centre operated by Open Access Data Centres, Africa's fastest-growing DC company. Together with ACIX's original point of presence, the two-node configuration allows networks in the DRC and wider equatorial Africa to exchange internet traffic locally, reducing the round-trips to distant hubs that add latency and cost for millions of users.
The geography matters. Kinshasa is one of the most populous cities in Africa, positioned between the continent's two most densely populated regions. Operating an IX here rather than routing traffic through European or North American hubs keeps data local, cuts latency, and builds a more resilient base for services from mobile banking to education platforms.
ACIX has been operating since 2023 and is designed as a neutral interconnection environment open to ISPs, mobile network operators, cloud and content providers, financial institutions, and academic networks. Expanding to a second facility increases resilience and gives networks that collocate in FIH1 a direct on-ramp to the exchange without traversing external infrastructure.
Hussein Ibrahim, CEO of UNITED SA, said: "ACIX is more than an Internet Exchange; it is foundational digital infrastructure for the future of Central Africa. Strong digital ecosystems are built on strong interconnection. ACIX represents an important step toward a more connected and digitally empowered region, where data can remain local, networks become more resilient, and innovation can scale across borders.
Marco Brandstaetter, Global Programme Manager for DE-CIX as a Service, said: "The integration of OADC Texaf's newly-built Kinshasa facility will enable additional networks to connect to the exchange and benefit from improved connectivity. ACIX is creating digital opportunities for the DRC and equatorial Africa by aggregating networks and enabling low latency and resilient local data exchange.
DE-CIX operates 60 IX locations across Europe, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. Its Frankfurt exchange handles more than 48 exabytes of traffic annually.
