Mohamad H. Ibrahim is a network and satellite communication engineer with 11 years of experience in the Internet Service Provider (ISP) business. As CEO of Interfiber Networks, Ibrahim is dedicated to providing reliable, efficient, and secure connectivity while increasing accessibility and access around interconnection, particularly between Europe and Africa. Prior to his current role, he held several executive positions at other networking and web services companies. He also founded an ISP in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that he sold to an American international telecom company a few years later for 100 times the initial investment.
What is the significance of Atlantic Convergence 2024 to you?
This event is about everything and everyone that connects across the Atlantic Ocean. For us at Interfiber, it was the first time we were part of a European or international event. Typically, we had been local in Africa. So, it was a massive opportunity for us to be exposed internationally and connect with industry giants. We started as a company in the DRC, but today we also have offices in the UK, Ivory Coast, and Portugal. The beauty of an event like this is that it brings together so many people from so many different places. No matter how big or small an individual company is, we all have the opportunity to grow our networks, work together, and benefit both our individual businesses and the industry as a whole.
How does Interfiber Networks fit into the overall interconnection ecosystem model, which encompasses the convergence of subsea and terrestrial fiber, subsea cables, neutral IX, and data centers?
Interfiber Networks was formed as a way to connect Africa more directly with Europe. Typically, European or larger international Internet companies—think Tier 1 markets—wouldn’t sign contracts with an African company, so we had to create our own European company to connect with our West African company. Although we effectively sell connectivity to ourselves, we’re also quite interconnected within different sectors of the industry: We work closely with carriers and ISPs to provide IP transit, bandwidth, colocation services, and reliable fiber optic Internet access.
Over time, we’ve seen a lot of consolidation in the industry. For example, some data centers now offer subsea capacity: They are tapping into another type of market, which means they’re creating a new type of competition. It’s becoming harder for smaller companies in the face of this evolution, so I think we’ll see more convergence in that sense, too.
What do you expect from Atlantic Convergence 2025?
Although the next iteration of Atlantic Convergence is already set for Lisbon, I expect the event will become even more international in both participants and host locations. I’d like to see opportunities for all these industry leaders to experience the full Pan-Atlantic region by moving the event between the four Atlantic-bordering continents. Regardless of where the conference takes place, convergence isn’t limited to a certain market or region—there is so much more room to expand and invest in different parts of the world, and I look forward to seeing where the industry moves next.
