Africa: Cairo to host 2nd ICANN managed root server - ITREALMS

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Cairo, the capital of Egypt is to host the second location for the deployment of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) managed root server on the continent, reports ITREALMS.

This latest installation, ITREALMS gathered will be deployed in next month, September and was made possible following the understanding between the Coalition for Digital Africa (C4DA) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

This deployment of ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) installation in Africa, ITREALMS also gathered was part of the C4DA initiative launched in 2022.

ITREALMS recalled that the first IMRS deployment was made operational in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2022, resulting in most Africa-based Internet Domain Name System (DNS) root queries now being resolved on the continent.

In addition, ITREALMS gathered that the IMRS in Nairobi, Kenya handles some 40 per cent of all IMRS DNS root queries for the continent, whereas prior to the installation, 35 to 40 percent of the DNS query traffic was traveling outside of Africa for resolution.

Experts informed ITREALMS that the two IMRS installations increase the resiliency of the global Root Server System for Internet users across the continent. IMRS installations add root server capacity to support an expected exponential increase in Internet adoption across Africa. The IMRS installations assist in keeping Africa-sourced root Domain Name System (DNS) queries answered within the region and reduce dependence on networks and servers in other parts of the world. This resiliency improves the Internet experience for users across Africa.

The root servers also boost national and regional Internet resiliency by helping root server traffic stay local. Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is collaborating with ICANN in the installation of the IMRS in Cairo, Egypt.

The IMRS installations will reduce the impact of potential cyberattacks on Africa, should the global Root Server System be attacked. Distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) cyberattacks work by overwhelming servers with a flood of queries. With two separate IMRS deployment locations in Africa, and higher bandwidth and data processing capacity, the risk of the Internet being impacted because of a DDOS cyberattack is significantly reduced.

Further, ITREALMS recollected that C4DA was conceived by ICANN, as an alliance of like-minded organizations committed to building a robust and secure Internet infrastructure to bring more Africans online.

Remmy Nweke/DoP

Hard net neutrality rules take root in 50 countries - Report

ITRealms:

Hard net neutrality rules have taken root in some 50 countries even though soft rules are proven to work better to support investment and innovation, reports ITRealms.

The latest report by Strand Consult and made available to ITRealms suggested that there is a portrait of the fight for hard net neutrality regulation by ‘Save the Internet and other internet activists.’

The chief executive of Strand Consult, Mr. John Strand defined countries that use hard rules (legislation and regulation) have a lower rate of “edge provider” innovation created in the given country.

This, he told ITRealms, contradicts what supporters of net neutrality have claimed in making the rules, that an open internet is needed to support innovation from so-called “edge providers.”

“In countries with hard rules, the rate of local or native innovation declines once rules are put in place, but American internet companies such as Google and Netflix take a greater share of so-called edge innovation, crowding out locally made innovation,” he said.

In contrast, Mr. Strand noted that countries with soft rules or even no rules in some cases have a higher rate of locally-developed content and applications, stressing that it is an important point for countries that wish to support their native industries that hard net neutrality rules may be ill-advised. 

Strand Consult also shared knowledge and offers a free 40 page report detailing how sophisticated global coalitions such as Save the Internet have succeeded to overwhelm seemingly “independent” telecom regulators and implement hard rules.

The report equally noted that the following now upholds in the industry namely on “Why the sudden shift from soft to hard net neutrality regulation, Activism as an Industry, Digital Prostitution: The value proposition activists offer their funders and the tools and techniques of transnational activism.

In addition, the report underscored the franchise model of Save the Internet, how to capture regulators with automated emails and petitions, why telecom operators are losing the net neutrality battle.

ITRealms recalls that Strand Consult’s goal is to bring transparency to the net neutrality debate and to demonstrate how well-funded, sophisticated global campaigns have succeeded to make hard net neutrality rules in the United States, European Union, India, and other countries. 

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