By Michelle Ndaga
Data‑centre and interconnection infrastructure firm Digital Realty, through its African data centre arm iColo, is supporting the co‑operative agreement between the London Internet Exchange (LINX) and Asteroid Kenya to transition customer networks in Mombasa and Nairobi to LINX’s peering hubs.
Under the arrangement, Asteroid will wind down operations by end‑2025 while LINX assumes interconnection operations in Kenya. iColo’s carrier‑neutral data centers in Miritini (MBA1) and Nyali (MBA2) are central to the migration.
Analysts say this consolidation strengthens Kenya’s role as an East African digital hub, potentially reducing latency, expanding global peering options, and attracting tech investment flows. For Digital Realty, it deepens infrastructure play in Africa’s fast‑growing digital economy.
Challenges include ensuring the transition is seamless, meeting local demand for cloud and data services growth, and managing regulatory/licensing issues.
This development signals a shift in the regional tech ecosystem away from fragmented local exchanges toward larger‑scale, globally integrated infrastructure networks.
Sources: IoT Insider
