The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has intensified its push to localise critical Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure within Nigeria, deploying additional root and authoritative DNS servers in a move expected to strengthen internet resilience, improve latency and reinforce the country’s digital economy.
Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer of IXPN, who disclosed on Thursday while speaking at the Annual Members’ Engagement Forum of IXPN, positioned DNS localisation as a strategic infrastructure milestone rather than a routine technical upgrade.
According to him, hosting root and authoritative DNS services locally reduces dependency on foreign resolution paths, improves response times and strengthens Nigeria’s ability to withstand cyber disruptions.
Highlighting the significance of local root server deployment, Rudman said that, “local installation of Root DNS will strengthen the root name server network by providing it with more points to deflect malicious attacks on the foundation of the Internet.”
CEO: IXPN hosting root DNS inside Nigeria
The IXPN CEO also disclosed expanded collaboration with global DNS and registry operators to host critical internet resources locally.
The exchange worked with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to deploy an authoritative DNS server within its network, serving multiple top-level domains and handling close to 1,000 DNS responses per second.
IXPN also partnered with Packet Clearing House (PCH), Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), CIRA and Verisign to host anycast instances of E-Root, F-Root and J-Root DNS servers.
In addition, IXPN collaborated with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) to host primary name servers for Nigeria’s country code top-level domain locally.
The exchange further signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Verisign to operate as a Regional Internet Resolution Site, hosting primary DNS services for .com, .net and other generic top-level domains.
Highlighting the significance of local root server deployment, Rudman said that, “local installation of Root DNS will strengthen the root name server network by providing it with more points to deflect malicious attacks on the foundation of the Internet.”
He added that the development enhances Nigeria’s visibility within the global internet infrastructure ecosystem.
IXPN on economic implications of DNS localisation
DNS is a foundational layer of the internet, translating domain names into IP addresses that enable users to access websites, applications and digital services. When DNS queries are resolved locally rather than routed internationally, several measurable economic and operational effects occur.
Lower latency and improved performance:
Local DNS resolution reduces round-trip times for domain lookups, accelerating access to e-commerce platforms, fintech applications, streaming services and enterprise systems. Faster response times enhance user experience and improve service reliability for businesses operating online.
Reduced international bandwidth costs:
Routing DNS queries offshore consumes international transit capacity. By resolving traffic locally, network operators conserve international bandwidth, potentially lowering operational costs that would otherwise be passed down the value chain.
Improved network resilience:
Domestic hosting of root and authoritative DNS infrastructure reduces exposure to external network disruptions. In the event of submarine cable faults or international routing failures, locally hosted DNS services can continue to function, sustaining access to critical online services.
Enhanced cybersecurity posture:
Distributed root server presence increases the resilience of the global DNS system and provides additional points to absorb malicious traffic. Hosting infrastructure domestically also strengthens national visibility into DNS activity patterns, aiding in threat detection and mitigation.
Strengthened digital sovereignty:
By anchoring key internet infrastructure locally, Nigeria increases its operational control over critical resolution services supporting government platforms, financial institutions, cloud services and digital startups.
For Nigeria’s growing digital economy, encompassing fintech, e-commerce, digital media, software services and public digital platforms, DNS reliability directly affects transaction integrity, user trust and uptime guarantees.
“IXPN has achieved a major milestone by surpassing 1 Terabit per second in traffic during Q1 2025, highlighting its crucial role in Nigeria’s and Africa’s internet infrastructure,” Rudman said.
Traffic milestone underscores infrastructure growth
The IXPN CEO confirmed that the exchange exceeded 1 Terabit per second (1Tbps) in peak traffic during Q1 2025.
“IXPN has achieved a major milestone by surpassing 1 Terabit per second in traffic during Q1 2025, highlighting its crucial role in Nigeria’s and Africa’s internet infrastructure,” Rudman said.
He attributed the milestone to sustained ecosystem growth and coordinated scaling across member networks.
“This achievement is the result of several key factors,” he added, noting that existing members upgraded port capacities from 1G to 10G and 100G, aggregated multiple ports, and expanded Points of Presence (PoPs) across regions.
Existing members of the exchange, he added, expanded port capacities from 1G to 10G and 100G, aggregated multiple ports and increased Points of Presence (PoPs) across regions.
Backbone upgrades across key interconnection routes
To accommodate traffic growth, Rudaman said that IXPN executed multiple backbone capacity upgrades across key interconnection routes in Lagos.
Capacity between Digital Realty (Medallion) and Equinix (MDX) was increased from 300Gbps to 500Gbps. The Medallion–Rack Centre link was upgraded from 20Gbps to 200Gbps, while the OADC–MDX route rose from 200Gbps to 500Gbps.
Explaining the rationale behind the upgrades, Rudman added that the objective is to stay ahead of demand growth and ensure sustained network performance.
“As demand continues to grow, this upgrade ensures we stay ahead of capacity needs, delivering improved performance, enhanced resiliency, and room for future scalability,” he said. “It’s part of our ongoing commitment to provide a robust, high-performance network that supports the evolving digital requirements of our members and partners.”
IXPN also disclosed plans to upgrade its core network switches to support 400G-capable ports and to enhance all key interconnection links within Lagos, as well as Abuja–Lagos, Kano–Abuja and Port Harcourt–Lagos routes.
Content domestication strategy
A major component of the expansion strategy is the domestication of global content within Nigeria to reduce latency and dependence on long-haul transport links.
In Lagos, IXPN increased its Microsoft Connected Cache capacity from approximately 25Gbps to 75Gbps following the deployment of a refurbished high-capacity server.
The previously used server has been redeployed to Abuja to serve peers in Abuja and Kano.
“This strategic relocation helps domesticate content in the northern region, ensuring that networks in Abuja and Kano can access Microsoft’s static content locally without needing to traverse the expensive Lagos–Abuja transport link,” Rudman explained.
IXPN also expanded Google Global Cache infrastructure in Lagos, raising total serving capacity from 53.5Gbps to 153.5Gbps after installing additional servers.
These upgrades are aimed at increasing local content availability, reducing international bandwidth dependence and improving user experience across networks connected to the exchange, Rudman added.
Enhanced traffic visibility and security
Operationally, IXPN deployed a flow-based peer-to-peer traffic analysis platform that enables real-time sampling and granular visibility into traffic flows across the exchange fabric.
The system supports anomaly detection and proactive capacity planning. The exchange also upgraded its IXP Manager platform, introducing automated tools that flag peers nearing 80 percent of subscribed capacity and generate network weathermaps.
On the security front, IXPN deployed an AS112 anycast node to manage leaked reverse DNS lookups for private IP space and introduced DDoS mitigation mechanisms that allow peers to neutralise volumetric attacks before saturating local port capacity.
Regional collaboration and expansion roadmap of IXPN
At the West African Peering Forum 2025, IXPN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HubSix to promote regional knowledge sharing and capacity development.
Looking ahead, IXPN plans to:
- Establish additional exchange points in new data centres.
- Introduce 5G, 50G and 400G port options.
- Deploy content delivery network (CDN) nodes at remote PoPs.
- Offer VLAN services in Lagos.
- Enable remote peering capabilities.
With traffic volumes exceeding 1Tbps and a growing concentration of DNS and content infrastructure hosted locally, IXPN is expanding its role in interconnection, content domestication and internet resilience within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
With root and authoritative DNS infrastructure increasingly hosted within Nigeria, IXPN says it is reinforcing the technical foundations of the country’s internet ecosystem. The localisation of DNS, alongside backbone upgrades, traffic scaling and content domestication, represents a structural enhancement of Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, with direct implications for performance, cost efficiency, resilience and economic activity across the online sector, according to Rudman.
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