Seacom has launched a cost-effective Layer 2 connectivity solution designed to extend South Africa's Internet Exchange (IXP) fabric directly into local municipalities and regional hubs.

Seacom PeeringReach, launched at ZANOG iWeek 2026, in Centurion, is set to provide reliable, service level agreement-backed access to South Africa’s Internet Exchanges, including JINX, CINX, DINX and NAPAfrica.

The solution, delivered over Seacom's national long-distance fibre backbone, addresses the high costs and complexity traditionally associated with accessing national exchange connectivity.

The service offers a simpler, more affordable alternative to indirect routing through upstream providers or large-scale infrastructure investments, helping customers connect directly to the IXP ecosystem.

“This launch is about fundamentally rebalancing access to South Africa's digital infrastructure. Seacom PeeringReach gives networks in local municipalities a more cost-effective way to connect into the national peering ecosystem, helping them improve performance while keeping connectivity costs under control,” explained Seacom Digital Infrastructure group chief technology and operations officer Prenesh Padayachee.

For many operators, expanding network reach has traditionally involved lengthy and expensive infrastructure projects.

The company said that, historically, gaining access to South Africa's peering ecosystem often required indirect connectivity paths or significant investment in national infrastructure.

This creates cost and operational barriers for networks operating in smaller towns and municipalities, barriers that Seacom PeeringReach removes by extending exchange access into local and regional areas through a single, integrated Layer 2 service.

Seacom PeeringReach enables growth through simple provisioning rather than construction, significantly reducing both cost and time to market.

By making exchange connectivity more accessible and affordable, the solution enables Internet service providers, regional carriers, local municipalities, enterprises with network-dependent operations and content and cloud providers to improve network efficiency and performance, regardless of geographic location.

The dedicated Layer 2 design eliminates the inefficiencies associated with indirect, multi-hop routing paths, and enables more direct access to IXPs, improving traffic efficiency, predictability and overall network performance.

“PeeringReach is not just a connectivity product, it is an affordable enablement platform. We are helping regional networks to scale faster, operate more efficiently and participate more meaningfully and affordably in the digital economy,” Padayachee added.

“By levelling the playing field for regional networks, Seacom PeeringReach improves national traffic efficiency, resilience and digital inclusion, reinforcing Seacom's role as a key national interconnection enabler,” he continued.

The service supports bandwidth options from 1 Gb/s to 10 Gb/s without requiring major infrastructure investment.