South Africa’s internet infrastructure has just reached a significant milestone, with NTT Data becoming the first network operator on the African continent to activate 400Gbit/s peering at the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (Jinx). This achievement underscores the growing importance of high-speed, reliable connectivity across the region as digital demand continues to accelerate at an unprecedented pace.
The announcement, made by the Japanese technology services giant on Monday, represents a substantial leap forward for South Africa’s digital economy. NTT Data, which operates the NTT Data Broadband Network locally, says the activation will fundamentally reshape how enterprises, cloud providers, and everyday consumers experience internet performance through the exchange. The upgrade isn’t merely a technical achievement—it’s a response to the mounting pressures on our infrastructure as traffic volumes surge across the country.
JC Burger, the director of infrastructure engineering and operations at NTT Data in South Africa, highlighted the urgency behind the move in a statement to our colleagues at the newsdesk. “Africa’s internet traffic is growing rapidly and the demand for scalable, resilient and low-latency connectivity continues to increase,” he noted. His words capture the reality facing network operators right now: the old infrastructure simply can’t keep pace with the explosion in data consumption driven by cloud adoption, streaming services, and artificial intelligence applications.
What makes this development particularly noteworthy is that it builds on existing capacity upgrades by INX-ZA, the exchange division of the Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa). Just recently, INX-ZA partnered with Nokia to become the first African internet exchange to offer 400 gigabit Ethernet ports to its peering community. Now, with NTT Data’s activation, we’re seeing real-world adoption of this cutting-edge infrastructure.
Why 400Gbit/s peering matters for South Africa’s digital future
For those not immersed in the technical weeds, here’s why this matters: when networks peer directly at internet exchanges like Jinx, they swap traffic without routing it through international transit links. This direct exchange dramatically reduces latency—the delay that users experience—and slashes costs for operators and, ultimately, consumers. Think of it as the difference between taking a direct flight versus connecting through three other cities.
Jinx itself carries significant historical weight. Established in 1996, it’s Africa’s oldest internet exchange point and has served as the backbone for South African internet connectivity for three decades. Today, it operates alongside exchanges in Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha under the INX-ZA umbrella, creating a distributed network that’s more resilient than relying on a single point of presence.
The timing of NTT Data’s activation couldn’t be better. Traffic volumes across African exchanges have climbed sharply over the past decade, driven by rising internet penetration, expanding submarine cable landings bringing connectivity to our shores, and the explosive growth of cloud and streaming services. South Africans’ appetite for digital services isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The infrastructure upgrades we’re seeing now are essential plumbing work—the kind that often goes unnoticed until it fails.
NTT Data’s global footprint gives this announcement added significance. The Japanese conglomerate, part of the NTT Group, reports annual revenues exceeding US$30-billion and operates in more than 70 countries. It’s not a startup experimenting with experimental technology; it’s a multinational services provider making a strategic commitment to South Africa’s digital future. The company offers connectivity, data centre, cloud, and consulting services, positioning itself as a comprehensive infrastructure partner for enterprises navigating the digital transformation landscape.
The activation also reflects a broader trend among hyperscale data centre operators expanding their Johannesburg footprints. These companies—the cloud giants and infrastructure providers reshaping how the world processes and stores data—are increasingly routing their workloads through South Africa’s emerging tech hubs. High-speed peering infrastructure like what NTT Data has just activated becomes essential when you’re handling the computational demands of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-time data processing at scale.
For South African businesses, particularly those competing in digital services, the implications are tangible. Improved performance during peak demand periods translates to better customer experiences, faster transaction processing, and reduced operational costs. Retailers running e-commerce platforms, financial institutions processing digital payments, and media companies streaming content all benefit from more robust, lower-latency connectivity. Greater reliability means fewer service interruptions and more predictable network performance.
NTT Data’s move signals confidence in South Africa as a technology hub. While the country faces numerous challenges—load shedding, infrastructure backlogs, and skills shortages among them—the private sector continues investing heavily in digital infrastructure. These investments demonstrate faith that demand for connectivity will only increase and that South Africa remains a strategically important market for global technology players.
This activation at Jinx should prompt other network operators to examine their own infrastructure roadmaps. As competition intensifies and customer expectations rise, staying ahead of the curve on peering capacity becomes a business imperative. The 400Gbit/s standard that seemed cutting-edge just a few years ago is now becoming mainstream, raising questions about what comes next for internet exchange infrastructure.
NTT Data’s achievement at Jinx represents far more than a technical upgrade—it’s evidence that South Africa’s internet infrastructure is evolving to meet the demands of a connected, data-intensive future. As African internet traffic continues its rapid acceleration, moves like this one will prove crucial in ensuring that our digital economy can scale sustainably and competitively on the global stage.