10 March 2026·PIB

ICANN85 in Mumbai Highlights Collaboration to Strengthen a Secure and Resilient Internet

In this note

1. At a Glance

ICANN85 is the 85th Community Forum of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), hosted in Mumbai (7–12 March 2026) at Jio World Convention Centre, co-organised with NIXI under MeitY [1][2].
Marks India's return as ICANN host after the 2016 Hyderabad meeting; positions India in global Internet governance dialogue covering DNS, cybersecurity, and gTLD expansion [2].
UPSC relevance: GS-II (international institutions) and GS-III (cyber security, IT infrastructure); intersects with Digital India, data governance, multistakeholder Internet governance.

The ICANN85 Community Forum opened in Mumbai on 7 March 2026, with the official Welcome Ceremony on 9 March 2026 attended by Shri S. Krishnan (Secretary, MeitY) and Shri Rajesh Aggarwal (Chief Secretary, Maharashtra) [1].
It is hosted in collaboration with the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology [1].

ICANN: California-incorporated non-profit (1998) that coordinates the global Domain Name System (DNS), IP address allocation, and root zone management.
NIXI: Set up on 19 June 2003 as a Section 8 (not-for-profit) company under MeitY [2].
NIXI services span Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), .IN Registry (ccTLD), and IRINN (IPv4/IPv6 address registry) [2].
Last ICANN Public Meeting in India: Hyderabad, 2016 (ICANN57).

Event: ICANN85 Community Forum; Dates: 7–12 March 2026; Venue: Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai [1].
Co-host: NIXI under MeitY; Format: Hybrid (in-person + virtual) [1].
ICANN role: Coordinates DNS, IP addresses, root servers — multistakeholder model.
NIXI: Section 8 company, est. 19 June 2003, operates 77 Internet Exchange Points across India; runs .IN ccTLD and IRINN [2].
Themes: Open, secure, inclusive, resilient Internet; DNS evolution; cybersecurity; new gTLD program rollout [1].
Indian officials at Welcome: S. Krishnan (Secretary MeitY), Rajesh Aggarwal (CS Maharashtra) [1].

Geopolitical / Strategic

Signals India's claim to leadership in Global South Internet governance; reinforces multistakeholder model vs. state-centric ITU-led alternatives pushed by some powers.
Aligned with India's prior G20 Presidency (2023) push for Digital Public Infrastructure.

Scientific / Technological

Discussion of new gTLD program expansion, Universal Acceptance of multilingual domain names (key for Bharat's IDNs in 22 official scripts) [2].
IPv6 transition governance — IRINN under NIXI is India's regional registry node [2].

Administrative / Governance

Showcases India's domestic Internet backbone: 77 NIXI IXPs for keeping domestic traffic in-country, reducing international bandwidth cost [2].
Hosting builds Indian technical community capacity through NIXI's Internet Governance Internship and Capacity Building Scheme [2].

Economic

Resilient domestic Internet underpins UPI, ONDC, Aadhaar-based DPI stack; NIXI peering reduces forex outflow on international bandwidth [2].

March 2026: ICANN85 Mumbai held 7–12 March; Welcome Ceremony 9 March 2026 [1].
2025: NIXI concluded Universal Acceptance (UA) Day 2025 for multilingual Internet for Viksit Bharat [2].
MeitY–NIXI–ICANN roundtable on the ICANN Applicant Support Program (ASP) under the new gTLD initiative [2].

ICANN85 Community Forum held at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, 7–12 March 2026 [1].
Co-hosted by NIXI under MeitY (not MEA, not TRAI) [1].
NIXI established on 19 June 2003 as a Section 8 not-for-profit company [2].
NIXI operates 77 Internet Exchange Points across India [2].
NIXI manages India's ccTLD .IN Registry and IRINN (Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers) [2].
ICANN is a non-profit that coordinates DNS, IP allocation, and root zone (HQ: Los Angeles, California).
Last ICANN India meeting was at Hyderabad in 2016 (ICANN57).
ICANN operates on the multistakeholder model, not intergovernmental.
Secretary MeitY at Welcome Ceremony: Shri S. Krishnan [1].
Maharashtra Chief Secretary at Welcome: Shri Rajesh Aggarwal [1].

GS-II: International institutions; bilateral/global groupings — "Discuss India's role in shaping the multistakeholder model of global Internet governance."
GS-III: Cyber security; IT & computers — "Examine how institutions like NIXI and ICANN contribute to a resilient and inclusive Indian Internet ecosystem."
GS-III: Infrastructure — "Internet Exchange Points are critical national digital infrastructure. Comment."

NIXI, IRINN, .IN Registry — domestic backbone of Indian Internet.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — domestic data governance counterpart.
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) — UN-convened parallel multistakeholder platform.
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) — competing intergovernmental model.
Universal Acceptance & IDNs — multilingual Internet for Bharat.
G20 Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) consensus under India's 2023 presidency.
CERT-In under MeitY — cybersecurity incident response counterpart.
National Cyber Security Policy 2013 / Bharat NCX — security framework.

Wrong ministry: ICANN85 is hosted by MeitY/NIXI, not MEA or DoT.
Confusing ICANN with ITU: ICANN = multistakeholder non-profit; ITU = UN intergovernmental body.
NIXI status: It is a Section 8 (not-for-profit) company, not a statutory body or PSU.
Venue confusion: Held in Mumbai (Jio World Convention Centre), not New Delhi or Hyderabad (Hyderabad was 2016).
ccTLD vs gTLD: .IN is a ccTLD managed by NIXI; .com/.org etc. are gTLDs administered via ICANN-accredited registries.