Iran Holds Data Transit Talks With India

EghtesadOnline: Aiming to expand its role as Asia’s data transit hub, Iran is set to offer such services to India through its several international Internet Exchange Points (IXPs).

News ID: ۷۴۲۱۸۸

17 June 2017

On the sidelines of the International Telecommunication Union Meeting in Geneva, Iran’s Communication and Information Technology Minister Mahmoud Vaezi met with his Indian counterpart Manoj Sinha on Thursday, Mehr News Agency reported.

The two sides announced that Iran and India are set to expand their bilateral cooperation in science and technology and data transit services.

They stressed sharing experience on communications infrastructure and development policies. The two sides are to boost relations between their private businesses active in the technology and communication sector, Financial Tribune reported.

Vaezi referred to Iran's high capacity of providing Internet services, saying the country has been developing its IXPs to cater to needs in and outside the country.

Having seven IXPs with the potential to offer international Internet transit services to neighboring countries, Iran is seeking to become a data service hub in the region to improve revenue in the technology sector and reduce dependency on oil exports.

An IXP is a physical infrastructure through which Internet service providers exchange Internet traffic between their networks.

Iran is already providing its western neighbor Iraq with data services through an IXP center in Khuzestan Province, which operates as an Internet transit hub. The center enables Iraqis to connect to the World Wide Web using Iran’s communications infrastructure.

Furthermore, talks have been held with Armenian officials to launch a similar project, catering to the needs of Iran's northern neighbor.