Bad Handwriting, Gold Drilling & Building Tanzania's Internet - Frank Habicht | Coffee Pump (E124)

Konnichiwa Recorded live at AfPIF 2026 in Kigali. Frank Habicht was our first guest of the week, and his story is not what you'd expect from a man who runs Tanzania's internet exchange. He grew up in East Germany, went to Tanzania in 1998 for a student conference, met his wife because she complained about his handwriting, and never really left. Twenty years later he's still there, and he's spent most of them building the infrastructure the rest of us take for granted. We get into: – Why they call him the vulture – Climbing Kilimanjaro at 25 and struggling more on the way down – Africa Online, dial-up, and running a country's internet off satellite – The years when Dar and Nairobi could only talk to each other via Norway – Five years drilling for gold, and why leaving the ISP world made him more useful – Choosing the tallest building in Dar so no competitor had the advantage – The day VPNs got shut off across an entire country – Beijing on the night of the Olympics opening ceremony, and an empty plane out – What changed when the subsea cable finally landed in 2009 – Celebrating one megabit, then one gigabit – Why one cache now carries half the exchange's traffic, and why that worries him – IPv4 running out, carrier-grade NAT, and what it costs users – Why 240 ISPs competing is great for you and brutal for them – Why exchange work is ninety percent social and ten percent technical Huge thanks to AfPIF and the African IXP Association for hosting us and setting up the guests. Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Order Our Coffee and Wallpapers: https://wa.me/c/254707696969 Our Coffee and Tea Is live! Order from our website: https://coffeepumppodcast.com/shop Join Our Membership and get access to videos early: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZKGnWZWb-S9wJdz9IGDTw/join Support The Channel: MPESA: 0707 69 69 69 Pay Bill: 542 542 Account Number: 069 420 Recorded at AfPIF 2026, Kigali, in collaboration with: Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: https://www.afpif.org African IXP Association: https://www.af-ix.org Africa IXP Youtube: @AfricanIXPs - https://www.youtube.com/@AfricanIXPs Find Frank Habicht: geier@geier.ne.tz / frank.habicht@simbanet.co.tz Find our host Sajid Vayani: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Coffee Pump Spotify, Apple and Socials: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sajvayani Disclaimer: The content of The Coffee Pump Podcast is intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Coffee Pump Podcast, its affiliates, or any associated entities. Nothing discussed in this podcast should be construed as professional advice in any field, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, or business matters. Any statements made about businesses, products, or individuals are based on personal experiences and opinions and are not meant to be taken as fact or a definitive review. The Coffee Pump Podcast does not assume any liability for the accuracy, completeness, or consequences of using the information discussed. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions, conduct their own research, and seek professional guidance where appropriate. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge that The Coffee Pump Podcast is not responsible for any actions or decisions made based on the content provided. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:58 - Frank's Upbringing, Education & Moving To Tanzania 10:27 - Frank Working At Africa Online 13:01 - Raha, The Internet Exchange & Connectivity In Tanzania 18:18 - Frank Joining Stanley Mining 24:08 - TISPA & ISP Licensing In Tanzania 31:58 - Moving To Beijing And Mongolia, Joining CatsNet 38:01 - Network Facilities Licences & Right Of Way Permits 40:31 - SimbaNET, Subsea Connectivity, GPON & SD-WAN 49:10 - IPv4 Vs IPv6 & Carrier-Grade NAT 54:19 - Competition In The ISP Business & Neutral Data Centres In Tanzania 1:01:48 - AfPIF, Caches, CDN77 & Azam Media 1:09:53 - Frank's Leisure Time, Swahili & Five-Year Plan 1:16:18 - Get In Touch With Frank 1:16:41 - Outro