By 
By Osasome, C.O
IXPN Intensifies DNS Localization to Strengthen Nigeria’s Internet Infrastructure
The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) is ramping up efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s internet infrastructure by accelerating the localization of critical Domain Name System (DNS) services. The move is aimed at reducing reliance on foreign infrastructure, improving network performance, and enhancing national digital resilience.
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As part of the initiative, IXPN is deploying additional root and authoritative DNS servers within Nigeria, ensuring that more internet traffic is resolved locally rather than routed through international networks. This approach keeps traffic within the country, improving speed, security, and reliability.
Key Benefits of the DNS Localization Drive
According to IXPN, the localization strategy delivers several strategic advantages for Nigeria’s internet ecosystem:
- Improved Performance and Resilience: Local DNS resolution, including deployments of F-Root and J-Root servers, reduces latency, enables faster access to online services, and ensures continued connectivity during international submarine cable outages.
- Strategic Global Partnerships: Collaborations with international organisations such as Packet Clearing House (PCH), Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), and Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) have supported the deployment of this infrastructure.
- Local Hosting of .ng Domain: Working closely with the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), IXPN now hosts primary name servers for Nigeria’s .ng country code domain locally.
- Enhanced Data Sovereignty: By reducing dependence on foreign networks, the initiative strengthens national control over Nigeria’s internet ecosystem and supports data sovereignty objectives.
Rising Traffic and Infrastructure Expansion
IXPN’s localization efforts are already delivering measurable results. In the first quarter of 2025, the exchange surpassed 1 terabit per second (1Tbps) in peak traffic, driven by increased local peering and expanded cache content from global platforms such as Google and Microsoft.
To support this growth, IXPN has upgraded backbone capacity in Lagos, ensuring the network can accommodate rising data volumes and sustain future expansion.
Mohammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer of IXPN, said that with between 60 and 70 per cent of Nigeria’s internet traffic now domesticated, DNS localization and local peering have become critical pillars for strengthening the country’s digital economy.
Low ASN Count Weakens Competition, Raises Broadband Costs
In a related development, Rudman warned that Nigeria’s low number of Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) is undermining competition, increasing broadband costs, and constraining the growth of the digital economy.
Speaking at a media capacity-building training on Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Economy in Lagos, he explained that ASNs are fundamental to internet ecosystem maturity. Every network connected to the global internet requires a unique ASN to achieve routing autonomy and operational independence.
Rudman likened ASNs to national and operator codes in the telecoms sector, noting that they allow networks to identify one another and exchange traffic efficiently without relying on a single provider.
“Nigeria performs poorly on this indicator, with only one autonomous system number per one million people, which is extremely low for a country of Nigeria’s size,” he said.
Nigeria Lags Global and Regional Peers
By comparison, Rudman noted that the United States has about 91 ASNs per million people, Brazil has 43, while South Africa has 13—figures that highlight Nigeria’s limited network diversity.
He added that Africa as a whole also lags globally. The AFRINIC, Africa’s regional internet registry, has allocated only about 2,670 ASNs, the lowest among the world’s five internet regions. In 2021 alone, AFRINIC allocated just 256 ASNs, compared to more than 7,700 allocated by APNIC in the Asia-Pacific region during the same period.
Uneven Distribution Across Nigerian States
Rudman disclosed that only nine Nigerian states have up to three autonomous system numbers, with Lagos leading at 171, followed by Abuja, Rivers, Oyo, Ogun, Kano, Osun, and Delta states. Meanwhile, 15 states have no ASNs at all, leaving residents almost entirely dependent on mobile network operators for internet access.
“In states like Yobe or Gombe, with populations of about three million people, there is no single internet service provider apart from mobile network operators,” he said.
He attributed the situation to the dominance of mobile networks, noting that about 99.5 per cent of Nigerian internet users access the internet via mobile operators, while fixed broadband, wireless providers, and satellite services together account for less than one per cent of users.
