GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana launched its first Internet Exchange Point (GYIXP) on Friday, with Prime Minister Mark Phillips saying it is a significant achievement in the country’s journey towards a more connected and digitally inclusive society.
An IXP is a local facility where Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content networks interconnect directly, ensuring that local data traffic remains within the country.
“The launch of Guyana’s first IXP reinforces our commitment to honoring our regional and international commitments,” Prime Minister Phillips said, noting “it directly aligns with CARICOM’s digital agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) to build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation.
“This is just the beginning. We intend to continue building on these initiatives… We will modernize and modernize education by embedding STEM, AI, and digital skills in classrooms, increasing scholarships, and fostering a Digital Economy in Guyana. We will accelerate development through initiatives such as Silica City, pro-business reforms, and economic diversification.
“We will enhance community safety and support for sustainable livelihoods—all towards reshaping our national landscape and building a Guyana where every citizen – young and old, of every race, gender, and religion – has the opportunity for a progressive and prosperous life,” Prime Minister Phillips added.
The launch of GYIXP comes as part of a broader national Information Communication Technology (ICT) agenda, which Prime Minister Phillip said is already delivering significant results.
He recalled that in 2020, the Irfaan Ali administration had promised the country that it would be developing “our infrastructure and promoting the use of ICTs across Guyana, all towards securing a prosperous future for all Guyanese.
“ We have not only delivered on this promise but also exceeded it,” he said, noting that while more than 1,500 IXPs are active globally, fewer than 120 are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Before now, if you made a call across one network to another, it had to be routed through Miami and back to Guyana. Now the routing is being done in Guyana,” Phillips said, adding that the introduction of GYIXP will reduce latency, improve internet speeds, strengthen network security and reliability, and decrease bandwidth costs.
“By facilitating the interconnection of the networks of our local internet service providers, GYIXP is expected to tangibly improve network performance, security, resiliency, and costs…and most importantly, lower the barriers not just to connectivity but to meaningful connectivity.
“Nationally, an IXP has the potential to revolutionize the national digital landscape and can exponentially increase internet-based entrepreneurship and national development opportunities – including domestic content production,” he said.
Prime Minister Phillips praised the collaborative efforts that brought the GYIXP to life, noting that it was made possible “not only through the government of Guyana’s efforts but also those of the University of Guyana in providing a neutral space to house GYIXP and the Internet Service Providers who support and participate in this initiative.
“Your efforts are to be applauded, and your contributions to Guyana’s development are much appreciated.”
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