Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has announced the activation of the Afghanistan Internet Exchange Center, a project reported to cost nearly 10 million afghanis.
The ministry says the exchange is intended to manage domestic internet traffic more efficiently, reduce dependence on external routes, improve communications quality and security, and expand local hosting capacity for websites, email and other digital services.
The exchange had previously operated on a more limited scale with only some internet service providers connected. The expanded system is intended to keep a larger share of domestic traffic inside Afghanistan. Its practical effect on internet speed and consumer costs will become clearer as usage grows and additional providers connect.