The Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX) is an industry association that continues to grow from strength to strength. (Pic: The MyIX Committee comprising representatives from AIMS, Maxis, YTL Communications, DiGi, REDtone, Celcom Axiata, TM, TT dotCom and U Mobile)
When it was first conceived in 2006, it was an initiative well ahead of its time. Thanks to the vision of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which saw the potential benefits of such an initiative for Malaysia, the country today can be proud of having an internet exchange that is world-class and which ensures that Malaysians continue to have strong and uninterrupted internet bandwidth while also ‘keeping internet traffic’ local.
This is achieved through MyIX enabling internet service providers (ISPs), content delivery networks (CDNs), and other network providers exchange internet traffic with one another. In industry terms, it is known as ‘peering’ which is the exchange of traffic between independent networks for their mutual benefits.
Until today, MCMC continues to be supportive of MyIX. From its humble start, MyIX continues to play its part today in ensuring that the Digital Economy continues to serve as a strategic engine of growth for Malaysia.
As at end-2022, demand for internet bandwidth was still soaring – reporting a peak of 1.9 terabits per second and surging more than three folds from the 588 gigabits per second posted in May 2020.
Furthermore, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) foresees the Digital Economy contributing 25.5% to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) from its estimated 22.6% currently.
Against this backdrop, internet traffic in MyIX increased 36% from 2021 to 2022.
It was fitting then that, at the recent MyIX 15th annual general meeting (AGM) held in Kuala Lumpur, all resolutions were passed.
The event reflected on the successes of the past year which saw membership grow to some 132 companies today.
Looking ahead, MyIX will be putting greater focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the current year.
This includes efforts to upskill and reskill Malaysians, coupled with a CSR fellowship programme to provide exposure for technical employees while also enhancing them with industry related skills and expertise.