APRICOT 2025, Petaling Jaya, 26th Feb 2025
At APRICOT 2025, a panel discussion brought together experts to examine how Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) can enhance efforts to measure the Internet’s performance and resilience. Anand Raje, CTO of India Internet Foundation(IIFON), joined Philip Smith, Dr. Christoph Dietzel, and Amreesh Phokeer in sharing operational and technical perspectives on the subject.
Internet measurement plays a vital role in understanding how data moves, where bottlenecks form, and whether the Internet remains open, secure, and globally connected. However, traditional global measurement platforms often face challenges, including limited vantage points, gaps in regional data, and inconsistency in data quality and coverage.
IXPs are uniquely positioned to address some of these limitations. By virtue of their role in interconnection, they have direct visibility into local traffic patterns and performance metrics such as latency, packet loss, and routing efficiency. This makes them valuable sources of localized insight that can complement broader measurement systems.
Despite their potential, many IXPs are not yet contributing to public measurement datasets. Challenges include resource constraints, concerns about privacy and data sharing, and the absence of standardized tools or frameworks to support consistent measurement. These barriers make it difficult for IXPs to fully participate, even when the operational benefits are clear.
The panel highlighted a path forward that includes deploying open-source tools, building technical capacity among IXP operators, and offering targeted support through initiatives like the Internet Society’s Sustainable Peering Grants. With the right resources, IXPs can turn measurement into a value-added service—enhancing both their role in the ecosystem and the global understanding of Internet health.
The session underscored that IXPs can offer more than just interconnection. They can become essential contributors to Internet measurement—if supported appropriately.