Reports of some local Video-on-Demand (VOD) viewers becoming frustrated with slow streaming speeds have prompted VIDI to remind the VOD community that its own servers are all located within South Africa for faster speeds.
“Streaming speed is key to a quality VOD viewing experience and a VOD provider cannot expect to stream content from European servers, for example, over 13 500 km away, and create happy customers,” said Janene Matsukis, VIDI spokesperson.
VIDI has peered at the Johannesburg Internet Exchange (JINX) and the Cape Town Internet Exchange (CINX) since commercial launch of the country’s first VOD service almost one year ago. “Peering locally at Internet exchanges managed by SA’s Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) means VIDI web traffic doesn’t have to practically circumnavigate the globe just to land back in South Africa,” Matsukis says.
Internet Exchange Points (INXs) are physical locations, or points, that allow data networks owned by different entities to communicate with each other. South Africa’s existing INXs were built within the country by ISPA to keep Internet traffic local. INXs promote “peering”, the direct interconnection of two networks without international transit being necessary.
“VIDI is all about an entertaining and customised hassle-free viewing experience. VIDI’s three biggest advantages are its local servers, the fact that the service requires no specialised hardware, and its data-subsidised fixed-line viewing,” she said.
