Observer Report Frankfurt am Main, Islamabad
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 the inauguration of ‘Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE) powered by DE-CIX’, the first carrier- neutral IX in the country on Monday.
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-CIX is 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.
