Nigeria’s Internet Exchange Goes 400G

The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has upgraded its core switching infrastructure to 400-gigabit-capable platforms across its three principal Lagos points of presence, Equinix LG1, Digital Realty LOS1 and Rack Centre, making 400G peering available at all three locations for the first time.

The exchange said the upgrade prepares its platform for the next generation of high-capacity interconnection as internet traffic continues to grow across Nigeria and the wider region. IXPN credited its engineering team, led by Uchechukwu Ugwuanyi, Assistant General Manager and Technical Head, with completing the migration on schedule. The next phase will see the exchange migrate its inter-site backbone links to 400G and onboard its first members at the new speed.

An internet exchange point (IXP) is where internet service providers, mobile operators, cloud providers, content platforms, banks and enterprises connect directly to exchange internet traffic. By keeping domestic traffic within Nigeria instead of routing it through overseas networks, IXPN reduces latency, lowers international transit costs and improves network resilience.

Established following the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005 and facilitated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, IXPN has grown into Nigeria’s largest internet exchange, connecting more than 130 members, including the country’s major telecommunications operators, internet service providers and global content platforms. Beyond Lagos, it operates points of presence in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, Delta and Gombe.

The infrastructure upgrade comes as internet traffic through the exchange continues to accelerate. IXPN’s peak domestic traffic exceeded one terabit per second for the first time in April 2025 and had more than doubled to over two terabits per second by March 2026. An earlier Internet Society study estimated that local traffic exchange through IXPN was saving Nigerian networks approximately $40 million annually in international transit costs.

The move to 400G also simplifies network architecture for members. Until now, organisations requiring more than 100 gigabits of capacity had to aggregate multiple 100G connections, increasing operational complexity and infrastructure costs. Native 400G connectivity enables a single high-capacity connection, reducing cross-connect requirements, improving port utilisation and simplifying network design.

IXPN plans to apply the same approach internally by migrating its own inter-site backbone from aggregated 100G links to native 400G circuits. The upgrade brings Nigeria’s exchange infrastructure in line with leading global internet exchanges, where 400G has become the preferred standard for hyperscale cloud providers and major content networks.

The deployment spans Lagos’ three largest carrier-neutral data centres. Equinix entered the Nigerian market through its acquisition of MainOne in 2022, while Digital Realty expanded into the country through its investment in Medallion. Their presence reflects Lagos’ growing importance as West Africa’s leading interconnection hub.

The upgrade delivers on a roadmap unveiled by Muhammed Rudman, CEO of IXPN, during the exchange’s annual members’ forum in February. That programme included the deployment of 400G-capable switching infrastructure, expansion of key Lagos interconnection routes, upgrades to backbone links connecting Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt, new 400G services for members, remote peering capabilities and the deployment of additional content delivery infrastructure.

Alongside capacity expansion, IXPN has also been strengthening Nigeria’s internet naming infrastructure by hosting anycast root servers with partners including Packet Clearing House, ISC, CIRA and Verisign. The exchange has also deployed a CIRA-supplied authoritative DNS server handling close to 1,000 queries per second and signed an agreement with Verisign to localise resolution infrastructure for domains such as .com and .net.

According to Rudman, these investments are intended to strengthen Nigeria’s internet infrastructure by improving performance, reducing dependence on international routing and ensuring sufficient capacity for future growth.

With the core infrastructure now in place, IXPN’s focus shifts to upgrading its backbone links and migrating members onto 400G services. For Nigeria’s internet ecosystem, the message is straightforward: the country’s primary interconnection platform has significantly expanded its capacity just as domestic internet traffic enters a new phase of growth.