Microsoft Azure Peering Service Goes Live at LINX Nairobi Interconnection Hub

The Microsoft Azure Peering Service (MAPS) is now live at the London Internet Exchange (LINX) Nairobi, the interconnection hub in Kenya.

LINX is an official partner of Microsoft and currently deploys this solution in London, Manchester, and at its US interconnection hub, LINX NoVA, in Northern Virginia.

As one of only a handful of official partners delivering this service in Africa, the team at LINX is excited to provide further network solutions for the LINX Nairobi member community in Kenya.

LINX Product Development Manager, Mike Hellers, says: “We hadn’t anticipated rolling out additional services at LINX Nairobi so soon, but it’s encouraging how eager the local networks are for our services. They asked, and we listened.”

“The MAPS solution is a great fit for the ecosystem in Kenya. There are no minimum traffic levels, but the same great, low-latency peering service, direct with Microsoft. We've received a lot of interest from local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for this service and plan to reach out to fintech and enterprise networks in the region soon as well.”

MAPS is a unique service that allows networks to improve connectivity with a direct connection to Microsoft (AS8075), enabling low-latency performance for end users of services like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Teams, or any other Microsoft service accessible via the public internet.

The introduction of MAPS comes almost a year after the official launch of LINX Nairobi in November 2023. The IXP has welcomed a healthy mix of local ISPs, global carriers, and much-anticipated content delivery networks like Meta.

LINX has been working for the good of the Internet since 1994 and continues to collaborate closely with the local community in Nairobi and its data center partners to improve the Internet and connectivity for all.