First Central Asia Internet Forum Taking Place in Almaty

Robust, fast and cost-effective Internet connections depend on data traffic-sharing arrangements between the network operators in a country or region. These peering agreements benefit everyone involved – network operators save on costly international transit and can pass these savings on to their customers, who also benefit from faster speeds. All of this drives economic growth, attracts major content providers, and enables local businesses and content creators. 

But all of this activity does not happen on its own. Peering agreements are usually negotiated on the basis of personal relationships with mutual benefit in mind. And without a neutral space for all of this to take place, companies who compete with one another in the marketplace are often reluctant to engage with one another and start building a peering ecosystem.  

This is where events like CAPIF 1 come in. The forum is designed to provide an opportunity for the local Internet community to come together to build these relationships, to share best practices, and to increase knowledge around how the Internet can grow through better local peering and interconnection. There is a need in the region for a more accessible Internet and there are major infrastructure development projects underway that promise to further improve accessibility and affordability in the area.

The event will include presentations on a range of Internet related topics such as peering and IXPs in Central Asia, Iran and neighbouring regions, opportunities for regional and international connectivity and legislative and regulatory frameworks.

As the Regional Internet Registry for Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia, the RIPE Network Coordination Centre has 30 years experience in bringing together key players from across the technical Internet community. The RIPE NCC will bring together the Internet communities from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Almaty on 16-17 November 2022.

RIPE NCC Chief Community Officer, Hisham Ibrahim said: “The silk road was established to interconnect the ancient empires together, generating new opportunities for trade, commerce and cultural exchange. In modern history, these landlocked countries can serve as a crossroads of Internet interconnection leading to significantly lower costs, faster Internet speeds and increased bandwidth. The RIPE NCC hopes the forum will bring about this positive change in how the Internet operates in the region.”

Visit https://www.ripe.net/capif1 for more information and to register.

ENDS