“Our focus is on expanding IXPs”: Interview with NIXI’s Dr Devesh Tyagi

As India’s internet ecosystem expands rapidly, driven by 5G adoption, cloud growth and rising data consumption, the role of domestic internet exchange infrastructure in ensuring sovereignty, resilience and low-latency connectivity has gained greater significance. In an interview with tele.net, Dr Devesh Tyagi, Chief Executive Officer, NIXI, spoke about NIXI’s evolving mandate, its strategy for expanding internet exchange points into Tier II and Tier III cities, and India’s efforts to strengthen its position in the global internet governance landscape. Edited excerpts…

How is NIXI’s role evolving in strengthening the country’s core internet infrastructure over the next few years?

At NIXI, we see our role evolving from being just an exchange facilitator to becoming a critical enabler of India’s digital backbone. Our focus is on expanding internet exchange points (IXPs) across geographies, improving routing efficiency and ensuring that domestic traffic remains within the country. With over 20 content delivery networks (CDNs) now operating within NIXI’s ecosystem, the increasing localisation of data and content in India is well under way and our infrastructure expansion is directly aligned with supporting this next phase of growth. Over the next few years, we aim to deepen interconnectivity, reduce latency and support the scalability required for emerging technologies.

How important are domestic IXPs in enhancing resilience, strengthening security and reducing latency for Indian internet users?

By ensuring that local traffic is exchanged within the country, IXPs significantly reduce dependency on international bandwidth, lower latency and enhance security. In the context of data localisation, IXPs also ensure that sensitive data does not need to traverse international routes unnecessarily.

What steps is NIXI taking to support smaller ISPs, regional networks and start-ups in accessing a robust and cost-efficient internet backbone?

One of NIXI’s core priorities is inclusivity within the internet ecosystem. We are actively working to make internet access more affordable and efficient for smaller ISPs, regional players and start-ups by expanding our IXP footprint into Tier II and Tier III cities. By lowering entry barriers and enabling cost-effective peering, we empower these players to deliver better quality services while remaining competitive. NIXI Academy further complements this by conducting capacity-building programmes in IPv6 adoption, digital literacy and cybersecurity, thereby equipping smaller ecosystem participants with the technical skills to leverage this infrastructure effectively.

How is NIXI working with stakeholders to ensure stability and trust in India’s internet infrastructure?

NIXI collaborates closely with ISPs, data centres and government bodies to ensure secure routing practices and redundancy mechanisms. By keeping domestic traffic local, we inherently reduce exposure to external threats. An example of NIXI’s cybersecurity mandate in action is its facilitation of the migration of all banks’ net banking platforms to the exclusive.bank.in domain, as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India. In addition, we are continuously working to strengthen policies, monitoring frameworks and technical standards that enhance overall network stability.

How does NIXI’s strategy align with India’s vision of bridging the digital divide in Tier II and Tier III cities and rural regions?

India’s next phase of internet growth will be driven by Tier II and Tier III cities and rural regions. NIXI’s strategy is aligned with this shift. By setting up IXPs closer to these regions, we ensure faster and more reliable internet access. NIXI is also facilitating domain name availability in 22 Indian languages, directly addressing accessibility for non-English speakers.

What kind of collaboration is required between government bodies, ISPs and industry players to future-proof India’s internet infrastructure?

Policy frameworks must encourage open peering, infrastructure sharing and innovation. At the same time, industry stakeholders need to align on standards and best practices. NIXI’s ongoing work with IRINN to drive IPv6 adoption across networks also exemplifies how infrastructure standardisation, when pursued collaboratively, delivers systemic scalability benefits, supporting billions of connected devices across sectors.

What are the milestones NIXI aims to achieve in strengthening India’s position in the global internet governance and infrastructure landscape?

These include expanding our IXP presence across more cities, increasing participation from networks and content providers and enhancing India’s role in global internet governance. On the IPv6 front, with India already at approximately 78.34 per cent adoption and leading globally, NIXI’s road map involves deepening this penetration through the IRINN registry and NIXI Academy training programmes, directly enabling internet of things-driven, future-ready infrastructure that India’s next phase of growth demands.