Fruit Farming, Free Peering & Africa’s Busiest Internet Exchange - Andrew Owens | Coffee Pump (E135)

Konnichiwa Fam, On this episode I sit down with Andrew Owens of NAPAfrica and Teraco, recorded on site at AfPIF in Kigali. Andrew joined Teraco as employee number five in 2008 and helped build NAPAfrica into the largest internet exchange on the continent. We are part of sister companies and have run into each other for years without ever properly sitting down, so this was a long time coming. He is also one of the few people in this industry who will tell you the metric everyone is chasing is the wrong one. We talk about: - Getting his first PC out of his dad's pharmacy and building machines from the spare parts - His first IT job running the software behind 98% of South Africa's fruit exports - Building wireless networks on farms and in cold storage facilities - Joining the first official VoIP provider in South Africa under the Telkom monopoly - Why the network engineer always ended up running the data center, and why he hated it - Getting locked inside the office at 4am during a Cape Town blackout - Turning down the Teraco job because he never wanted to touch a data center again - How his old company going bust two weeks later changed his mind - The basement paper store that became Teraco's first data center - Three customers in year one and being told they would be dead in two years - The court case that opened the market to 400 networks overnight - Why NAPAfrica made peering completely free, and why free is the hardest thing to sell - How MWeb cutting their transit and peering in London changed everything - Going from 300 megabit in year one to 7.5 terabits today - Why he thinks throughput is the wrong thing to measure - Building an internet exchange for $1,000, and why the community is the hard part - The truth about CDNs changing their peering policies - Why NAPAfrica will not expand into Kenya or Nigeria - What AI actually changes about peering - Cars, consoles his kids confiscated, and why South African gaming has not taken off Hope you enjoy the episode. Best, Team Coffee Pump Get your tickets for the Couch Connect x Coffee Pump Live Event: https://tikko.co.ke/event/0a16ec18-fa65-440e-8004-0211164a3f3f 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 Find Andrew Owens: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-owens-16765572/ Recorded in collaboration with AfPIF and the African IXP Association: AfPIF: https://www.afpif.org AF-IX: https://www.af-ix.org Equipment supplied by Cameras Africa: Website: https://www.camerasafrica.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerasafrica_ 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 1:07 - AF-IX Annual Meeting & Gaming 3:41 - Andrew's First IT Job & Networking Debut in South Africa 15:53 - Network Engineering & Building Neutral Data Centers in Cape Town 22:55 - Andrew's Pivot to Software Development & Expanding to Johannesburg 26:22 - Establishing NAPAfrica, Peering & BizDev 37:18 - NAPAfrica Operations, Going Aggressive & Building Community 42:02 - Trends & Changes in the Internet Exchange & CDN Space 47:27 - NAPAfrica's Future Expansion Plans 49:55 - Remote Peering 52:16 - AI in Peering & Teraco Facilities 54:28 - Andrew's Hobbies & Online Gaming 59:45 - Get in Touch with Andrew 1:00:00 - Outro