[Domainincite] – In a major industry shift, Tucows has been selected as the new back-end registry services provider for India’s .IN country-code domain (ccTLD), replacing GoDaddy. The transition, which involves approximately 4 million domains, will be the largest single TLD migration in DNS history.
A Landmark Migration
Tucows CEO Elliot Noss revealed the deal in his Q4 earnings call, stating:
“Tucows Domains was recently selected to be the technical services provider for the .IN country code domain, operated by the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). Our teams are closely collaborating, and we are establishing a dedicated team in India to support this initiative.”
While NIXI does not publicly disclose its registration numbers, Verisign’s Domain Name Industry Brief estimated that .IN had 4.1 million domains at the end of 2024, confirming the scale of this migration.
Breaking a DNS Record
This move surpasses the previous largest migration in 2018, when Afilias (now Identity Digital) took over Australia’s .AU from Neustar (now GoDaddy), managing 3.1 million domains at the time.
Tucows’ win also marks another shift in .IN’s registry history. In 2019, Neustar/GoDaddy underbid Afilias/Identity Digital, securing the contract by offering $0.70 per domain compared to the incumbent’s $1.10 bid.
What This Means for Tucows
While exact financial details remain undisclosed, industry estimates suggest the contract could be worth $10 million over five years, assuming a $0.50 per-domain pricing structure. However, CEO Elliot Noss tempered expectations, stating:
“The pricing and margin contribution for this piece of business is typical of a large, high-volume customer.”
Beyond direct revenue, this migration strengthens Tucows’ position for future registry contracts, as handling large-scale TLD transitions is a key factor in winning new bids.
With 4 million domains set to migrate later this year, Tucows is making a bold statement in the domain registry space—one that could reshape its standing in the global domain industry.
News Source:Kevin Murphy，This article does not represent our position.
