Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (RURA) has revealed that the country’s internet capacity went up by three-folds in just two years, implying that internet connectivity also tremendously increased. Speaking at the ongoing 11th edition of the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) that brought together key players in the internet sector on the continent, the acting Director General of RURA, Deo Muvunyi, said that Rwanda had to make enormous investments to achieve a triple increment in internet connection. “In Rwanda, the international bandwidth capacity almost tripled. In the first quarter of 2020 we had 63 Gbps while in the first quarter of 2022 we had 156 Gbps,” said Muvunyi. International internet bandwidth refers to the total used capacity of international internet bandwidth. Used international internet bandwidth refers to the average traffic load of international fibre-optic cables and radio links for carrying internet traffic. By law, RURA is mandated to establish an effective framework for the proper management and functioning of internet exchange points in the country. In February 2014, RURA and Rwanda Internet Community and Technology Alliance (RICTA) entered into an agreement that gives RICTA the mandate to manage, operate and develop the Rwanda Internet Exchange Point (RINEX). RINEX is an interconnection point of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), data centres, and Content Service Providers in Rwanda. So far, 14 Service Providers, Data centres, and Content Service Providers are connected to RINEX. “RURA and RICTA have undertaken a program aiming at modernising National Internet Exchange Infrastructure. The program focuses on facilitating access to Internet exchange points, enabling domestic bandwidth utilisation, encouraging the development of local content and web hosting, and attracting international content providers to locate their servers in Rwanda and promote internet broadband access,” said Muvunyi. With regards to the RINEX performance, Muvunyi said that its peak traffic doubled within the span of two years from 2020 to 2022. “The RINEX is increasingly becoming a regional hub for traffic exchange between neighbouring countries,” Muvunyi said.
