NAPAfrica
NAPAfrica is Africa's largest not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point, operating layer 2 peering infrastructure within Teraco data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. It enables 655+ network operators across 50+ countries to exchange traffic via free peering with no port or cross-connect fees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NAPAfrica does
NAPAfrica is Africa's largest Internet Exchange Point (IXP), operating as a not-for-profit neutral layer 2 exchange infrastructure within Teraco's data centre facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Founded in 2012, it provides free peering services with no membership, port, or cross-connect fees, enabling 655+ unique networks (ASNs) from over 50 countries to exchange internet traffic locally. The technical platform spans 2,347 ports with capacities from Fast Ethernet to 100 Gigabit Ethernet, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 connectivity, route server infrastructure for multi-lateral and bilateral peering, and route collector facilities for routing telemetry.
The core IXP product is augmented by several value-added technical services: direct access to Microsoft Azure Peering Service (1G/10G/100G ports), Cloudflare Network Interconnect for DDoS protection and connectivity optimization, and free member access to the Kentik Network Observability Platform for capacity planning and traffic analytics. The platform handles 5 Tbps of total traffic across its fabric, supporting use cases for network operators, ISPs, CDNs, content providers, cloud service providers, telecommunications carriers, and internet security specialists.
The business model is freemium and community-led, with revenue generation explicitly not the primary objective. NAPAfrica does not charge for peering access; operational sustainability appears tied to its operational relationship with Teraco (it uses Teraco email domains and is hosted within Teraco data centres). Go-to-market relies on community engagement through Technical Roundtable sessions, Beers for Peers networking events, and Tech Days with partners such as AWS, Cloudflare, NVIDIA, Kentik, and Console Connect. The strategic mission, aligned with the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), is to keep African internet traffic on the continent and reduce dependence on expensive international upstream transit.
NAPAfrica firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NAPAfrica
- Legal name
- NAPAfrica
- Website
- https://napafrica.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NAPAfrica is Africa's largest not-for-profit Internet Exchange Point, operating layer 2 peering infrastructure within Teraco data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. It enables 655+ network operators across 50+ countries to exchange traffic via free peering with no port or cross-connect fees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NAPAfrica industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Internet Exchange Services
- NAICS
- Wired Telecommunications Carriers (517111)
- SIC
- Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & Peering Services (HDABALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Carrier-Neutral Interconnect & Meet-Me Room (MMR) Services (HDABALAD), Carrier Interconnection & Peering Exchanges (IXPs, private interconnect, cross-connect) (HDAIAEAG)
Keywords
Where NAPAfrica is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
NAPAfrica business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Not-for-profit IXP Services: NAPAfrica operates as a not-for-profit neutral Internet Exchange Point. The organization does not charge membership fees, port fees, or cross-connect fees to access the infrastructure. Revenue generation is not the primary objective - the goal is to make internet access more accessible for Africa by keeping African traffic within the continent.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free peering access for all members |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
NAPAfrica product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NAPAfrica operates layer 2 neutral Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, hosted within Teraco data centre facilities, enabling network operators, ISPs, CDNs, and cloud providers to exchange internet traffic directly. The service offers 100% free peering with no membership, port, or cross-connect fees, providing access to 655 unique networks across 2,347 ports with 5 Tbps of total switch-fabric capacity.
Product overview
NAPAfrica operates as Africa's largest Internet Exchange Point (IXP), providing a unified platform for internet traffic exchange across three South African locations (Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg) within Teraco's neutral data centre facilities. The core NAPAfrica IXP product is complemented by several add-on services including the Microsoft Azure Peering Service for direct cloud connectivity, Cloudflare Network Interconnect for content delivery optimization, the Kentik Network Observability Platform for network analytics, and Route Servers/Route Collectors for peering management. The entire ecosystem offers 100% free peering with no membership, port, or cross-connect fees, making it both a core infrastructure service and a platform for additional network optimization modules.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- NAPAfrica IXP Africa's largest neutral Internet Exchange Point providing layer 2 IXP services in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg inside Teraco data centres, offering 100% free peering with no membership, port, or cross-connect fees and access to 655 unique networks across 2,347 ports.
- Microsoft Azure Peering Service Direct Access Direct access service enabling enterprises to connect to Microsoft Azure Peering Services with 1G, 10G, and 100G port options, no minimum bandwidth requirements, and BGP route monitoring for anomaly detection, minimising latency to Azure, Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Teams.
- Cloudflare Network Interconnect Technical service offered through NAPAfrica enabling direct Cloudflare connectivity for enhanced DDoS protection and network connectivity optimization for members.
- Kentik Network Observability Platform Network observability platform offered free to NAPAfrica and Africa Cloud Exchange members, providing AI-driven insights, network issue detection, capacity provisioning tools, and traffic optimization capabilities for network operations engineers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% free peering - no membership, port, or cross-connect fees
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use NAPAfrica
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
NAPAfrica technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
NAPAfrica partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ZANOG (South African Network Operators Group)coreExpanded partnership to deploy a community-driven cache and compute cluster at Teraco's CT2 facility in Cape Town. This infrastructure deployment includes space in a 'good of the internet' cabinet and cross-connects to key cache-fill partners, aiming to create a more resilient and locally optimized internet ecosystem.
- Teraco Data EnvironmentscoreNAPAfrica is located within Teraco data centre facilities. Teraco provides the physical infrastructure (facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban) while NAPAfrica operates the IXP infrastructure. NAPAfrica is a not-for-profit neutral exchange that does not compete with its member community.
- Microsoft AzurecoreNAPAfrica offers direct access to Microsoft Azure Peering Service, enabling enterprises to connect directly to Azure services with optimized routing, reduced latency, and BGP route monitoring. Port options include 1G, 10G, and 100G with no minimum bandwidth requirements.
- CloudflarecoreCloudflare Network Interconnect partnership enabling direct connectivity between Cloudflare's network and NAPAfrica members, supporting DDoS protection and network optimization services.
- KentikcoreNAPAfrica and Africa Cloud Exchange member community gets FREE access to the Kentik Platform for network observability, capacity provisioning, and traffic optimization.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreJoint Tech Day sessions covering AWS Direct Connect, AWS Site-to-Site VPN, AWS Cloud WAN, and hybrid network connectivity solutions.
- AF-IX (African Internet Exchange)minorAfrican IX association for knowledge sharing and collaborative development of internet exchange infrastructure across Africa.
- Euro-IXminorEuropean Internet Exchange association providing best practices, training, and community support for IXPs.
- AFRINICminorAfrican Regional Internet Registry providing IP address allocation and routing policy coordination.
- Internet Society (ISOC)minorGlobal non-profit organization supporting internet infrastructure development and policy.
- WAPA (Wireless Access Providers Association)minorSouth African association of wireless internet service providers facilitating local peering opportunities.
- Teraco Connect FoundationminorCorporate social investment initiative supporting skills development within the local internet community through training and knowledge sharing initiatives.
- Africa Cloud Exchange (ACX)coreTeraco's Africa Cloud Exchange partnered with NAPAfrica, enabling integrated cloud interconnection services. ACX launched a new partner API expanding cloud and internet connectivity across Africa, with NAPAfrica reaching 6 Tbps of traffic.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NAPAfrica competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- IXPN (Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria): Nigeria's leading IXP — directly comparable in product (neutral local peering) but focused on West Africa, representing both a regional peer and potential competitive alternative for Nigerian and West African carriers that currently peer at NAPAfrica.
- KIXP (Kenya Internet Exchange Point): Long-established East African IXP based in Nairobi — directly comparable neutral peering model serving East African carriers and content providers, a potential regional alternative for traffic currently routed through South Africa.
Others
- Africa Cloud Exchange (ACX): Teraco-operated cloud interconnection fabric tightly integrated with NAPAfrica's peering infrastructure — adjacent/partner service enabling direct cloud onramps for African enterprises, sharing the same data centre footprint and member ecosystem.
- Teraco Data Environments: Africa's largest carrier-neutral data centre operator and NAPAfrica's host/sponsor — provides the physical facilities, ecosystem of colocated networks, and operational backbone that make NAPAfrica's free-peering model viable.
Direct peers
- AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange): Major not-for-profit European IXP running a comparable neutral peering model — similar operating philosophy, member base, and growing presence in emerging markets including Africa, posing both a model and a competitive reference.
- DE-CIX: One of the largest global IXP operators with active expansion into African markets (e.g., Nigeria, Egypt) — directly comparable Layer-2 neutral exchange service and similar hyperscaler-grade customer roster.
- JINX (Johannesburg Internet Exchange): Direct competitor IXP operating in Johannesburg, South Africa — same product category (neutral Layer-2 peering), same target market (African carriers, ISPs, content providers), competing head-to-head for peering traffic in NAPAfrica's home city.
- France-IX: Neutral not-for-profit IXP in France providing comparable peering services to carriers, CDNs, and content providers — a model peer in operating philosophy and member economics.
- LINX (London Internet Exchange): One of the world's largest not-for-profit IXPs operating a neutral peering model analogous to NAPAfrica's — comparable member-funded, fee-light operating philosophy and target customer base of carriers, CDNs, and content networks.
- CINX (Cape Town Internet Exchange): Neutral IXP operating in Cape Town, South Africa — directly overlaps with NAPAfrica's CT1/CT2 facilities, serving the same carriers, CDNs, and cloud providers in the Western Cape region.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NAPAfrica social profiles
Digital presenceNAPAfrica compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
NAPAfrica financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NAPAfrica leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NAPAfrica funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NAPAfrica M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NAPAfrica
What does NAPAfrica do?
NAPAfrica operates layer 2 neutral Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, hosted within Teraco data centre facilities, enabling network operators, ISPs, CDNs, and cloud providers to exchange internet traffic directly. The service offers 100% free peering with no membership, port, or cross-connect fees, providing access to 655 unique networks across 2,347 ports with 5 Tbps of total switch-fabric capacity.
Is NAPAfrica a public or private company?
NAPAfrica is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was NAPAfrica founded?
NAPAfrica was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NAPAfrica based?
NAPAfrica is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does NAPAfrica make money?
One revenue line is on record: not-for-profit IXP Services.
Who are NAPAfrica's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are IXPN (Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria) and KIXP (Kenya Internet Exchange Point). Others are Africa Cloud Exchange (ACX) and Teraco Data Environments. Direct peers are AMS-IX (Amsterdam Internet Exchange), DE-CIX, JINX (Johannesburg Internet Exchange), France-IX, LINX (London Internet Exchange) and CINX (Cape Town Internet Exchange).
Does NAPAfrica have an API?
No public API is recorded for NAPAfrica.
What industry is NAPAfrica in?
NAPAfrica's product category is Internet Exchange Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABALAC, Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) & Peering Services, with a secondary code of HDABALAD, Carrier-Neutral Interconnect & Meet-Me Room (MMR) Services. Its NAICS code is 517111 and its SIC code is 4813.