West Asia Volatility Reinforces Need To Keep Internet Traffic Local, Says MyIX
KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 (Bernama) -- The volatility in West Asia has reinforced the need for Malaysia to keep internet traffic local amid growing concerns over the resilience of international connectivity and the risks of external disruptions to critical digital infrastructure, said the Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX) chairman, Chiew Kok Hin.
Against this backdrop, he said that domestic peering plays an important role in ensuring local internet traffic remains within Malaysia, reducing reliance on international routes and strengthening overall network resilience.
Domestic peering refers to the practice of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), data centres, or network operators within the same country directly interconnecting their networks, rather than routing traffic through international links.
This ensures traffic between Malaysian users and services is exchanged domestically, enhancing both cost efficiency and national security, especially relevant during global volatility in energy and geopolitics, he said in a statement today.
Recent developments, including potential risks to submarine cables in the Red Sea region, highlight the vulnerability of global connectivity routes and the need for countries to strengthen their domestic internet infrastructure, Chiew said after the company’s 18th annual general meeting here recently.
MyIX was established in 2006 as an initiative under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to serve as the country’s national internet exchange, enabling networks to interconnect locally and exchange traffic more efficiently.
“If regional cable incidents occur, having more traffic exchanged locally can help limit the impact of service disruptions within the country.
“Peering enables local traffic to remain within national borders, which improves efficiency and reduces unnecessary dependence on international links. As digital services continue to expand across business, government and daily life, strong domestic connectivity is becoming an increasingly important foundation for Malaysia’s digital economy,” Chiew explained.
By facilitating domestic peering, the exchange helps improve network performance, reduce latency, lower dependency on international bandwidth, and strengthen Malaysia’s overall internet resilience.
Meanwhile, traffic at MyIX rose 16 per cent to 2,527 gigabits per second (Gbps) as of February 2026 from 2,184 Gbps in 2025, reflecting rising digital activity across the nation and the growing importance of secure, resilient, and future-ready internet infrastructure in supporting Malaysia’s fast-growing digital economy.
“The rise in traffic reflects how central strong domestic connectivity has become to businesses, users and digital services nationwide.
“As Malaysia advances its artificial intelligence (AI) Nation 2030 aspirations, reliable and high-quality connectivity will become increasingly important for innovation, investment and the delivery of digital services,” Chiew said.
Major content and platform players also expanded their presence at MyIX over the past year. As internet traffic grows, they continue to expand their capacity at MyIX, reflecting stronger demand and the strategic value of local exchange connectivity.
-- BERNAMA
