Bologna, Emilia Romagna Regional Auditorium, November 3, 2016. Lunch break at ITNOG 2. It had been several months since I last saw Maurizio Goretti, CEO of Namex.
Maurizio and I had an on-and-off professional relationship, so to speak. Colleagues at CASPUR in different groups in 98-99, we reunited for two startup stories: Namex itself in 2002-2008, and then (under CASPUR-CINECA) the design of the Albanian academic network in 2010-2012. Two different stories, to be told at other times, but which would converge right there in Bologna in November 2016.
In fact, while in the early ’10s we were working on the Albanian academic network project, which then actually came to life and is now operational under the name RASH (Rrjeti Akademik Shqiptar), we realized that besides being one of the last countries without a research network, Albania was also one of the last countries without an exchange point. Or rather: without a neutral exchange point. There was an IXP owned by the incumbent, AlbTelecom, which was essentially an interconnection point between AlbTelecom’s own customers but remained little used by competitors due to obvious lack of trust.
In Bologna, between bites, Maurizio told me that there still wasn’t a neutral IXP in Albania: did we want to try working on it? We had a good relationship with RASH and its director, Arjan Xhelaj, and RASH actually operated (and – spoiler – still operates) the only neutral data center in Albania. We already knew some ISPs and could probe their willingness to connect to an IXP located in RASH’s DC.
Beautiful stories always get me. The possibility of creating something new, as we had done with Namex and with the network that would become RASH, fascinated me. And so I said yes.
We started from where we should always start, in my opinion: understanding the needs. Our goal wasn’t to “colonize” Albania, but to try to stimulate the local ecosystem and push for the creation of something useful. Who would manage it and how would be decided later.
Creating an IXP in Albania made sense to us from a technical standpoint, and it brought us back to Namex’s early years: like in those years in Italy, packets were going up and down Europe through various transits. An exchange point would serve to reduce the path and latency: keep local traffic local.
We then did some exploratory rounds in Tirana to meet some local ISPs and understand what they thought. Opinions ranged from enthusiasm to skepticism. However, it seemed that the main distrust was internal: there was a lack of trust between the various ISPs to carry this project forward. Perhaps the intervention of an external catalyst like Namex could serve precisely as a guarantee of neutrality.
Unlike what one might believe, a switch isn’t enough to make an exchange point. In fact, you don’t start there at all. You start by creating a “community”. It all seems very idealistic, but without a group of people convinced of the technical utility of connecting to an IXP, you can configure all the switches you want: they’ll remain deserted.
So we thought of organizing an event in Tirana in November 2017, inviting local providers and using our contacts to bring foreign guests: Italians but also Europeans, from institutions like ISOC and RIPE NCC and from content providers like Facebook and Cloudflare. We called the event “ALNOF” (Albanian Network Operators Forum), and we tried to use it as a springboard for the birth of a proper NOG, ALNOG .
The event was a critical point for the birth of what would then become ANIX, the Albanian Neutral Internet Exchange. Thanks to several willing local ISPs (coordinated by the excellent Kledi Andoni, veteran of Albanian operators), who extended their connections to RASH’s DC, in April 2018 the first packets started flowing through ANIX’s switch, donated by Namex. And they haven’t stopped since.
Fast-forward to 2025. ANIX is now a healthy exchange point that has surpassed critical mass. 25 connected networks, including some content providers like PCH, Meta and Netflix, and international carriers like Hurricane Electric and Convergenze. RASH’s data center has become an important national interconnection point, with the arrival of EXA Infrastructure establishing their POP there.
From a pro-bono project created by the collaboration between Namex and RASH, ANIX has taken the path of economic sustainability. It’s possible to request connection to ANIX either through RASH or through Namex, which can act as a one-stop shop especially for Namex members who prefer to have Namex as a single point of contact.
In December 2024, the latest ANIX Meeting was held in Tirana, after a couple of online meetings during the pandemic period and a first in-person ANIX Meeting in 2022, focused on Albania’s digital path towards the European Union. There, ALNOG was also relaunched, after a period of declining activity, with the creation of a dedicated WhatsApp chat.
Looking back at these eight years, it’s fascinating how the collaboration between Namex, RASH, and local operators has transformed a challenge into a solid and sustainable reality. ANIX isn’t just an IXP: for us, it’s a building block for an Albania that’s building the foundations for its digital future – connected, reliable, and competitive. The journey has been long, but this is just the beginning of a story yet to be written.
— By Daniele Arena, peering developer
