Uganda Internet eXchange Point

What Uganda Internet eXchange Point does

The Uganda Internet eXchange Point (UIXP) is a non-profit Internet Exchange Point founded in 2001 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda. It operates neutral, high-capacity switching infrastructure spanning two carrier-neutral facilities in the greater Kampala area — Communications House on Colville Street (the original site, operational since 2001) and Raxio Data Center in Namanve (added 2021) — interconnected by a 100 Gbps dark fibre link provided by C-Squared. The exchange interconnects approximately 32 networks including licensed ISPs, mobile operators (MTN, Airtel, UTCL), government networks (NITA-U, URA), and global content providers, with peak daily traffic of 40-45 Gbps as of 2024. The core technology stack comprises Arista, Cisco Nexus 3548, and Juniper EX4300 switches, BIRD-based virtual route servers (ASN 37386), Proxmox virtualization, and the open-source IXP Manager portal developed by INEX (Ireland).

UIXP's product surface centers on the core peering service (port-based interconnection at 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, and 100 Gbps), automated route server peering, a public Looking Glass diagnostic tool, and locally hosted content caches for Meta, Netflix, and Akamai. Recent additions include an encrypted Jitsi-based video conferencing service (kafunda.uixp.co.ug) and an AI marketing bot for Twitter/X. The business model is port-fee based with a stated "cost-recovery plus" sustainability objective; 100 Mbps ports are now free at both facilities, while 1 Gbps ports are priced at $500/month and 10 Gbps ports at $1,000/month, with multi-year prepayments accepted from large peers. UIXP has operated continuously for over 20 years, is a member of AFIX, AfPIF, and AfNOG, and is widely described as a model IXP within East Africa. In 2024 it launched an endowment fund generating income covering 25% of annual non-salary operating expenses, with a stated goal of covering 100% of total expenses over time. The organization faces ongoing regulatory pressure from proposed government-run alternatives, most recently NITA-U's National IP Peering Exchange (NIPX) announced in October 2025, and structural demand pressure from Uganda's 12% Internet data levy.

Name

Uganda Internet eXchange Point

Legal name

Uganda Internet eXchange Point

Website

https://uixp.co.ug

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit Internet Exchange Point operating since 2001 in Kampala, Uganda, providing neutral peering infrastructure interconnecting approximately 32 networks. Operates two carrier-neutral facilities, route servers, and CDN caches serving ISPs, mobile operators, and content providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Exchange Point Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Services-Telephone Interconnect Systems (7385)

akta.pro primary industry

Carrier Interconnection & Peering Exchanges (IXPs, private interconnect, cross-connect) (HDAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Internet exchange point
• Network interconnection services
• BGP peering infrastructure
• Carrier-neutral colocation
• Internet traffic exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Port/Service Fees: Monthly recurring port fees charged to connected networks based on port capacity (10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 100 Gbps). Free tiers available for 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps ports. Revenue model described as 'cost-recovery plus' sustainability. Multi-year prepayments accepted from larger peers including Meta.
2. Endowment Fund Income: Conservative interest-bearing investment endowment launched in 2024. The endowment generated income covering 25% of annual non-salary operating expenses in its first year. Goal is to grow the fund to eventually cover 100% of total annual expenses, enabling free or near-free services.
3. Value-Added Services: New services including locally hosted Jitsi video conferencing and AI social media bot. These services complement core peering infrastructure and may generate ancillary revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Uganda Internet eXchange Point (UIXP) operates neutral, non-profit network interconnection infrastructure that enables ISPs, telecom operators, content providers, and government networks in Uganda to directly exchange Internet traffic via BGP peering. The exchange provides port-capacity-based interconnection across two carrier-neutral facilities in Kampala (Communications House and Raxio Data Center), backed by automated route servers, hosted content caches (Meta, Netflix, Akamai), and an IXP Manager-based customer portal.

Product overview

The Uganda Internet eXchange Point (UIXP) operates as a non-profit IXP founded in 2001, providing a unified peering LAN that spans two carrier-neutral facilities in Kampala (Communications House and Raxio Data Center). The core product is the IXP peering service enabling direct network interconnection via physical ports and route servers, supplemented by a customer portal (IXP Manager), Looking Glass troubleshooting tool, and value-added services including local content caches (Meta, Netflix, Akamai), encrypted video conferencing (Jitsi), and an AI marketing bot. The organization also maintains an endowment fund for long-term sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IXP Peering Service Core Internet Exchange Point service providing neutral, high-speed network interconnection infrastructure accessible from two locations in greater Kampala (Communications House and Raxio Data Center). Enables networks to directly exchange Internet traffic locally, lowering cost of service delivery, improving quality, and increasing fault-tolerance.
• Route Server Service BGP route server service using BIRD software (ASN 37386) that automates multilateral peering between connected networks. Networks establish a single BGP session with UIXP route servers to automatically peer with all other route server users, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6, large BGP communities, prefix filtering, and AS_PATH preservation.
• UIXP Customer Portal (IXP Manager) Open-source customer portal based on IXP Manager software from INEX, providing centralized management of customers, switches, ports, automated configuration, public statistics, peering matrix, Looking Glass diagnostics, and billing management for connected networks.
• Content Delivery Network Caches Locally hosted content delivery network caches from major providers including Meta (free access via route servers), Netflix (access via community string 40027:4000), and Akamai (cache-fill from RENU). Connected networks receive cached content automatically, reducing delivery costs and improving user experience.
• Encrypted Video Conferencing (Jitsi) Free web-based open-source video conferencing service (Jitsi Meet) offering features similar to Zoom and Google Meet. All user traffic is encrypted and routed via the UIXP to protect users from mass surveillance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Peak daily traffic grew from 10 Gbps to 45 Gbps in 2023, a 350% increase
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lyca MobilecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Lyca Mobile donated cache-fill bandwidth to enable the Netflix cache deployment at the UIXP. This contribution made the Netflix cache accessible to all connected networks at no cost. Lycamobile (AS37113) also connects to the UIXP for peering via route servers (IPv6 active).
• RENU (Research and Education Network for Uganda, AS327687)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024RENU donated cache-fill bandwidth that enabled the restoration of Akamai's cache at the UIXP in late 2024. This cache was restored on an experimental basis using RENU's bandwidth contributions. RENU's Senior Network Engineer, Patience Nagaba, also volunteers as a UIXP Exchange Engineer.
• Raxio Data Center (AS328821)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022UIXP deployed an independent IXP node at Raxio, Uganda's first Tier-III carrier neutral data center. Raxio offers free cross-connects to the UIXP for all its customers and a 6-month 25% discount on all UIXP services at that location. This partnership marked a significant milestone in Uganda's Internet ecosystem development.
• African IXP Association (AFIX)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP is a proud member of the African IXP Association (AFIX). UIXP staff play voluntary leadership and support roles within AFIX. AFIX is a key pan-African institution bringing together IXPs across the continent.
• Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP staff participate in voluntary leadership and support roles in the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), a regional forum promoting peering and interconnection across Africa.
• African Network Operators Group (AfNOG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP staff participate in voluntary leadership and support roles in the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG), a community forum for network operators across Africa.
• ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP is a member of the ICT Association of Uganda (ICTAU) and works with the organization to promote community development and good policy outcomes for the industry.
• ISP Association of Uganda (ISPAU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP is a member of the ISP Association of Uganda (ISPAU) and works with the organization to promote community development and good policy outcomes for the industry.
• Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIXP facilitates donations for the Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG) until they can formalize and register a bank account. Any organizations wishing to sponsor UGNOG should contact UIXP at [email protected].

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Packet Clearing House (PCH): Non-profit organization that supports Internet infrastructure globally, including IXP development. Donated Cisco Nexus 3548 switching equipment to UIXP and supports IXP creation worldwide. Comparable as ecosystem enabler for neutral Internet exchange points, particularly in emerging markets.
• Africa IXP Association (AFIX): Pan-African association bringing together IXPs across the continent. UIXP is a member with active leadership roles. Comparable as the institutional ecosystem that supports African IXPs including UIXP, providing community coordination and policy advocacy.
• LINX (London Internet Exchange):

Direct peers

• INEX (Internet Neutral Exchange Association): Ireland's neutral IXP. Directly comparable non-profit community-governed IXP; notably, INEX developed the IXP Manager open-source software that UIXP uses for its customer portal, making INEX both a technology provider and operational peer.

Broad incumbents

• DE-CIX: Global IXP operator with presence across multiple continents. Comparable core service of neutral interconnection and route servers, though operates as a commercial for-profit carrier rather than UIXP's non-profit community model.
• Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX): One of the world's largest neutral IXPs based in Amsterdam. Comparable in core function (neutral peering infrastructure with route servers) but operates at vastly larger scale with global footprint. Reference model for community-governed IXPs including UIXP via shared IXP Manager software heritage.

Regional players

• Kenya Internet Exchange Point (KIXP): Kenya's primary IXP operated by the Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK). Direct regional peer in the East African Internet ecosystem, comparable non-profit neutral exchange with similar route server architecture and community governance model.
• Rwanda Internet Exchange Point (RINEX): Rwanda's national IXP providing peering infrastructure. Comparable as a fellow East African non-profit IXP focused on localizing internet traffic and improving regional connectivity.
• Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN): Nigeria's largest IXP with multiple peering locations. Comparable as a fellow African non-profit IXP providing BGP route server services and content cache hosting across multiple data centers.
• Tanzania Internet Exchange Point (TIX): Tanzania's neutral IXP providing network interconnection services in Dar es Salaam. Comparable as a fellow East African IXP member of AFIX with similar non-profit model and government network participation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uixp
• Facebookfacebook.com/ugandaixp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uganda Internet eXchange Point