The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) will add 65 new internet exchanges across India by March 2022, taking the total number of exchanges to 75. The government-run body will also launch a mechanism to detect Cyber intrusions online. Currently, there are ten internet exchanges across the country.
According to Anil Kumar Jain, Chief Executive Officer of NIXI, the organization will launch in cities like Dehradun, Nainital, Lucknow and Jaipur in the initial stage. Establishing internet exchanges will enhance the quality of the internet in the regions. NIXI is focusing on tier 2 and tier 3 regions for setting up exchanges and would spend around Rs 50 crore for the project.
In terms of the cyber intrusion mechanism, NIXI will immediately cease the traffic in the area if the exchange detects any unusual activities and correct them before resuming the same. It works closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other departments for making this a reality.
NIXI will also undertake initiatives to raise awareness of cyber-attacks, their technical solutions, and applications to reduce the attacks. NIXI is now promoting IP version 06 by giving it free of cost to organizations.
India will soon have one billion people on the internet
NIXI’s objectives align with Central Government’s Digital India Mission to create a safe, trust and accountable internet across the nation. India is one of the largest connected nations, with 800 million people online. With India’s rural broadband programme, India will soon have one billion people on the internet.
In November 2021, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and NIXI organized India’s first-ever India Internet Governance Forum (IIFG), bringing various stakeholders to discuss India’s internet future. At IIFG, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishaw also urged the need to define the norms of governance for the internet as it is now a significant part of India’s economy and society.
Besides facilitating enhanced internet services in India, NIXI also manages the National Internet Registry of India. The organization delegates Internet Protocol (IPv4 and IPv6) addresses to Indian businesses. India currently has over 2.7 million registered domains on the internet, according to NIXI and is the third-largest Asian nation in terms of domain growth.
