Over the past few months at the Internet Society, I\u2019ve observed a concerning trend in several regions where I\u2019ve been working: a growing number of Internet exchange points (IXPs) appear to be operating on autopilot\u2014what I call \u201cZombie IXPs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what exactly is a Zombie IXP, and how does one come to be? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many IXPs begin with enthusiasm and purpose. There’s a well-coordinated launch, funding is secured, the infrastructure goes live, and everyone (Internet service providers (ISPs), end users, and regulators) is satisfied. ISPs benefit from reduced international bandwidth usage, customers enjoy faster and more reliable access to content, and regulators can proudly report that the country has established an IXP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, once the initial excitement fades, some IXPs begin to stagnate. We can find out if an IXP is at risk of becoming a zombie by asking a few questions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is the IXP operating passively, i.e. with little to no strategic planning or ongoing investment?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is anyone explicitly tasked with managing the IXP\u2019s growth or operations?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is there a long-term vision for expansion or a funding plan?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does the IXP engage with regional organizations (such as LAC-IX in Latin America) that support best practices and technical development?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does it have a peering coordinator dedicated to the implementation of new peering partners, keeping PeeringDB (a network database) up to date, and keeping up with industry trends?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are responsibilities informally rotated among ISPs?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re missing one or more of these items, the IXP may work for a time, but it\u2019s a fragile arrangement. Over time, outdated hardware, underperforming connections, and a lack of oversight start to degrade performance. Ports may no longer support required bandwidth levels, and in response, some ISPs may start changing data routes to reduce traffic to your IXP, which kills local users\u2019 experience online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The effects of becoming a zombie diminish the IXP\u2019s effectiveness, leading to a fragmented and less efficient Internet experience for users: all of a sudden, the local video channel you follow and usually watch without delay might begin to slow down. The image quality might decay, and now you see the pixelated face of someone who\u2019s speaking in breaks while the video loads. And yet, when you watch the same channel at your friend\u2019s house in another part of town, nothing has changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To make matters worse, the situation often goes unnoticed by policymakers. On paper, the country has a functioning IXP, but in reality, local content caching is minimal, latency is high, and users are dissatisfied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how do we bring a Zombie IXP back to life? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are clear steps that can help. Adopting industry best practices, ensuring regular equipment upgrades, and designating responsible parties for technical and operational oversight are key. Ongoing community engagement and participation in regional IXP associations can also make a significant difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Internet Society, we\u2019re committed to supporting vibrant, sustainable IXPs. If you suspect an IXP in your region may be in decline, we encourage you to reach out.<\/a> We may be able to help by conducting an assessment, offering training or fellowships, or even assisting with grant opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Image \u00a9 ChayTee<\/a> on Adobe Stock<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over time, some Internet exchange points (IXPs) begin to operate on autopilot\u2014what we call “Zombie IXPs.” This can diminish performance and pose challenges. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1886,"featured_media":228308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,94],"tags":[],"region_news_regions":[5931],"content_category":[6085,6087],"ppma_author":[6017],"class_list":["post-228305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-access","category-internet-exchange-points","region_news_regions-global","content_category-blog-type","content_category-stories-type"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",1200,550,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-450x206.jpg",450,206,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-768x352.jpg",768,352,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-1024x469.jpg",1024,469,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",1200,550,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",1200,550,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-250x115.jpg",250,115,true],"square":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection-600x550.jpg",600,550,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",300,138,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",400,183,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Poor-Connection.jpg",600,275,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Russell Bean","author_link":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/author\/bean\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Over time, some Internet exchange points (IXPs) begin to operate on autopilot\u2014what we call \"Zombie IXPs.\" This can diminish performance and pose challenges.","authors":[{"term_id":6017,"user_id":1886,"is_guest":0,"slug":"bean","display_name":"Russell Bean","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62c2d33f2538d5ef48bad5311603a2e93471a34a50351ecdd07e6b5cbe980a63?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","last_name":"Bean","first_name":"Russell","job_title":"","user_url":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1886"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228305"},{"taxonomy":"region_news_regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region_news_regions?post=228305"},{"taxonomy":"content_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_category?post=228305"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=228305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Let\u2019s work together to ensure IXPs continue to fulfill their promise of delivering better, faster, and more affordable Internet for all.\u00a0Learn more about IXPs and how you can support them.<\/a>\u00a0<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n