Qatar has launched its first Internet exchange point.
Operating from Doha’s Meeza data centre, the QIXP point will be followed by several points aimed at strengthening the country’s network capabilities in time for the World Cup. The deployments form part of the Qatar National Vision 2030 initiative.
Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti said: “We are pleased to launch the first QIXP, which is a new achievement in developing the essential components of Internet infrastructure in the Information and Communications Technology Sector (ICT) of Qatar. This project will contribute to further improve the country’s international network readiness rankings and to attract global content providers.”
In 2018, Qatar’s Cabinet ordered the establishment of the QIXP Steering Committee to oversee work on the internet exchange. The committee’s chairman Abdulla Jassmi said: "We are taking sustainable steps towards contributing to the development of a knowledge-based society, because Internet exchange points reduce the cost of interconnection and help in creating the digital environment to enable the future generations to be creative in the world of digital content."
