NAPAfrica, Africa’s premier Internet Exchange Point (IXP) announced that it will introduce a Network Time Protocol (NTP) service using Adtran’s Oscilloquartz synchronization technology. This move aims to provide enterprise clients with highly accurate, secure, and reliable time-as-a-service (TaaS), catering to their stringent timing needs.
Andrew Owens, Teraco’s Lead for Interconnection & Peering, highlighted the significance of this development: “While empowering our clients with precise timing capabilities, Teraco is also leveraging the solution to synchronize its own data center interconnect network and systems. Now accessible at ntp.nap.africa, our new NTP service offers enterprise clients a more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective solution for network synchronization, eliminating the need for them to invest in their own timing and synchronization infrastructure.”
The collaboration between Teraco, Adtran, and NEC XON facilitated the deployment of Adtran’s OSA 5412 platform. This versatile grandmaster clock and NTP server, equipped with multi-band GNSS capabilities, ensures the delivery of precision timing for various sectors including network operators, utilities, financial institutions, and government agencies.
Stuart Broome, GM of EMEA Sales at Adtran, emphasized the accessibility and reliability of Teraco’s offering: “Teraco’s offering is now within reach of a wide range of businesses, providing operators with access to an incredibly accurate, robust timing and synchronization service at their fingertips.”
NAPAfrica has established itself as a crucial hub for organizations, addressing their internet, communication, and cloud needs. The increasing demand for cloud services from major providers like Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, Microsoft Azure, and Zscaler has fueled NAPAfrica’s growth. Enterprises benefit from peering advantages within the NAPAfrica ecosystem, facilitating connections with cloud deployments, content providers, networks, and security providers, thus fostering a more streamlined digital economy.
NAPAfrica operates internet exchange points (IXPs) within Teraco’s Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg data centers, serving the Southern Africa region. With over 600 member ASNs from over 50 countries, NAPAfrica ranks as the sixth largest IXP globally, with traffic of almost 4TBPS.
