MyIX invests RM3.7mil for infrastructure upgrade

• National Internet exchange to boost up bandwidth capacity by 300% by December 2013
• 50% increase in local traffic consumption driven by smartphone, tablet and social media use

THE Malaysian Internet Exchange (MyIX) said it will be investing up to RM3.7 million (US$1.2 million) to increase the bandwidth capacity of its central nodes’ interconnection in the Klang Valley from 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) to 40 Gbps.
 
“When we started in 2006, Internet traffic consumption in Malaysia was only at 288 megabits per second (Mbps) and a 10,000 Mbps capacity for the central node interconnection was more than sufficient,” said MyIX chairman Chiew Kok Hin (pic).
 
This has grown to 26 Gbps in combined traffic as at June 2013, resulting in an 80% capacity utilisation per leg of MyIX’s existing central node infrastructure.
 
“This is the main driver why we are upgrading our infrastructure … [for] approximately 300% more bandwidth capacity – to cope with the anticipated growth of the country’s Internet consumption over the next two years,” Chiew said.
 
In 2012 alone, MyIX recorded that local Internet traffic had increased by approximately 50% with 149,889 Mbps recorded in the first half of 2013, compared with 98,527 Mbps in the same period in 2012.
 
Chiew attributes this exponential growth to more social networking and smartphone usage; the digitisation of Malaysian TV with the IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) trend; video-on-demand; and online gaming.
 
“One of the key factors for data traffic growth is the increased number of people surfing the Internet via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. In fact, the first experience for many young Malaysian users of the Internet is via these mobile devices.
 
“The Internet penetration level will continue to escalate in the next few years as smartphones bundled with attractive communication packages become more affordable for the average Malaysian,” he said.
 
Keeping traffic domestic
 
MyIX is a non-profit organisation set up in 2006 under the purview of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to oversee the operations of the national Internet traffic exchange, and to facilitate the mutual peering between local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to enable a more efficient and cost-effective transmission of inter-ISP content.
 
“MyIX keeps … Internet traffic domestic, without having to travel overseas across long connection distances which adversely affects the Internet experience of local users,” said Chiew.
 
“MyIX has … contributed significantly to making Internet connection cost much more affordable as ISPs can pass on their savings to their customers, who can also enjoy better experience when surfing, playing online games and file sharing.
 
“Voice and video applications that are latency-sensitive have also seen a visible usage improvement with overall higher quality Internet coverage in Malaysia,” claimed Chiew.
 
MyIX said it has also been working to peer directly with top global content providers and social media platforms worldwide such as Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft in order to improve the experience of the many Malaysians who access these popular sites.
 
Earlier this year, MyIX decided to peer with Facebook because 13.3 million, or 45.5% of the total population of Malaysia, are Facebook users – putting the country at the 8th spot in Asia and 21st place worldwide in terms of country with highest Facebook account holders.
 
Currently there are 58 members registered with MyIX, which also practices a unique ‘open interconnection policy’ which differs from other global Internet exchanges that allow their member ISPs to choose who they want to peer with.
 
Related Stories:
 
High broadband growth in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand: Akamai
 
Next-gen youth, next-gen Internet, and lightsabres
 
Working on the next-gen Internet
 
Internet speeds: It’s not just about the infra, silly

 
For more technology news and the latest updates, follow @dnewsasia on Twitter or Like us on Facebook.