Workonline Communications, a pan-African IP transit provider, has selected the carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre of PAIX in Accra, Ghana to deploy its first point of presence in West Africa (POP)
This deployment forms part of Workonline’s strategic plan to help build a robust Internet ecosystem across the continent.
The PAIX Accra (ACC-1) data centre (initially founded in 2011 as RackAfrica) was upgraded and expanded in 2019 after being acquired in 2018 by PAIX Data Centres. The facility is recognised as West Africa’s digital gateway, with five submarine cables connected; housing equipment for all major carriers and ISPs; and connecting to all providers of metro fibre.
Benjamin Deveaux, head of business development at Workonline Communications, said, “This expansion marks an exciting milestone in our African development roadmap. Our expansion provides local ISPs and global CDNs with high quality IP transit services. Our Ghanaian POP will help us extend the reach of our network and support our mission of further developing the Internet ecosystem in Africa.”
The combination of carrier-neutral cloud data centres and well-peered regional IP transit providers often underpins the business case of content providers investing in a market.
The Internet Society’s (ISOC) call for Internet traffic to be kept within Africa highlights the importance of more content being available locally. Locally served content greatly enhances user experience and helps to reduce the cost of Internet services, thereby impacting economic growth positively.
Magloire Hiol, managing director, Ghana at PAIX Data Centres, said, “PAIX Accra (ACC-1) is the cloud and connectivity hub of Ghana, enabling the digital economy in Ghana and the West African region. Workonline’s market entry in Ghana will help serve our diverse customer community to generate new business opportunities.”
