With India’s Internet Landscape Shifting, Web Hosting and Domains Are Getting More Local

TL; DR: An estimated one-third of the world’s population has never used the internet. For a long time, India’s massive population was part of this statistic — but now, its digital landscape is evolving fast, and companies like Domain India are helping bridge that digital divide. Its CEO, Suresh Kumar, spoke with us about how Domain India is making web hosting and domains more accessible, affordable, and tailored to the specific needs of Indian people and businesses.

If you live in the U.S., Canada, the UK, or another developed country, it’s probably near-impossible to imagine life without all the digital tools we have at our disposal. But in many parts of the world, people live a different reality: Whether it’s poor network infrastructure or a lack of digital literacy, access to the same tech we use every day isn’t something everyone has.

India is one of those countries. But things are changing fast: In the past decade, India’s internet penetration rate has jumped from a measly 14% to a whopping 52% — an incredible leap toward closing that invisible yet palpable digital divide. As a point of reference, the U.S. internet penetration rate is at 97%.

More specifically, growth is happening in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. (Tier 2 cities have slow but steadily growing economies, while Tier 3 cities are smaller, less developed towns still on the economic fringes.) As of late, everything is shifting toward a more connected community. Thanks to several programs and initiatives, more Indian citizens now have access to opportunities that were once only limited to those living in metro areas.

Of course, there’s still work to be done. Stable internet connections, electricity, and digital literacy are still challenges in rural areas. That’s why Domain India’s customer-first approach — offering affordable services, knowledge-sharing, and local marketing tools — matters so much.

We spoke with Suresh Kumar, Domain India’s CEO and Director, about how the company is working to bring reliable digital services to small businesses and developers in the fast-growing region.

Domain India is a web hosting provider, domain registrar, and IT solutions company that serves India-based businesses — basically acting as a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to build a website, start an online business, or even create something more advanced, like a web app.

In fact, much of the country’s progress — including these partnerships — is thanks to government initiatives like Digital India, Make in India, Startup India, and BharatNet. These programs ultimately get more people online by boosting digital literacy and expanding infrastructure.

The result has been pretty amazing: more jobs, startups, and businesses, along with a boom in online shopping and supportive services. Digital access is even helping to democratize things, including marketing and manufacturing, so these resources are more accessible to the average citizen.

So, for a country with more than 700 million internet users, there’s definitely a noticeable hunger for online services. And Suresh said Domain India taps into that market by putting them first.

“What separates Domain India from the competition is our customer-first approach,” Suresh said. “Our expertise, focus on quality, and commitment to delivering reliable and user-friendly hosting solutions have made us a trusted choice for businesses of all sizes.”

To accomplish this, Domain India has partnerships with local infrastructure providers so even those in rural areas have access to reliable and secure hosting.

“We have established a strong network reach to serve businesses and individuals across India and beyond. Our hosting services are powered by strategically located infrastructure,” said Suresh.

This means that Domain India doesn’t own or operate its own data centers — which, depending on your perspective, may raise some questions. But if you ask me, it honestly seems like a smart, strategic approach: Domain India avoids the overhead of owning physical data centers while still delivering reliable service. In turn, prices are lower for clients, too. It’s a win-win.

Suresh added some network additions are coming, too: “Looking ahead, we plan to expand our network further by exploring additional infrastructure options to meet the increasing demand for local hosting solutions.”

Founded in 2007, Domain India started as the brainchild of Suresh, a young entrepreneur from a rural farming community. His fascination with computers and the internet in the late 2000s — particularly web development — is what helped push him to pursue a career in tech.

Fast forward to today, and Domain India has completed more than 500 projects across 35,000 clients. It offers a wide range of services, including:

• Web Hosting
  • Shared Hosting
  • VPS Hosting
  • Cloud Hosting
  • Managed WordPress Hosting
• Domains
  • Domain Registration
  • Domain Transfer
  • Domain Renewal
  • Domain Management
  • Bulk Domain Registration
• Web Solutions Services
  • Brand Essentials & Web Development Kit
  • Web Application Development Suite
• Support
  • Guide for Domain & Hosting
  • Web Builder Step-by-Step Guide
  • eCommerce Store Guide

But as for what’s most popular, Suresh said Domain India’s clients are most drawn to four main services:

• Shared hosting for small businesses and personal projects
• VPS hosting for businesses wanting enhanced performance, control, and scalability
• Windows hosting with Plesk for Windows-based applications
• Managed WordPress hosting for optimized WordPress performance, security, and automatic updates

These plans come with perks, too: a free SSL certificate, firewall protection, malware detection, DDoS protection security, automatic backups, and user-friendly tools (one-click installers and a drag-and-drop site builder, to name a couple).

OK, now I want to talk about top-level domains (TLDs).

Most of us are familiar with TLDs as the suffix at the end of a web address, like .com, .net, or .org. And while .com remains the most popular, the pool of available .com domains is shrinking fast.

So, what’s the solution? Branching out to other TLDs. Many businesses are opting for options that better reflect their brand or purpose, such as .io for tech companies, .shop for eCommerce stores, or location-specific TLDs like .co.uk for the UK or .in for India.

In addition to .in, Domain India supports a variety of India-centric TLDs, including:

• .in
• .co.in
• .org.in
• .net.in
• .gen.in
• .ind.in
• .io.in
• .me.in
• .travel.in
• .tv.in
• .uk.in
• .us.in

On the domain side, Domain India offers perks, including WHOIS privacy protection and a free Domain Name System (DNS) service with every registration. It also manages the entire life cycle of your domain, from purchasing and registering to transferring.

Looking ahead, there’s a lot to look forward to. Actually, it’s kind of rare to come across a company with such a packed pipeline that is completely focused on meeting its customers’ needs.

It comes as no surprise, based on what Suresh said: “We actively explore modern solutions such as AI-driven tools for customer support, advanced caching mechanisms, and scalable cloud hosting options to improve user experience.”

On top of that, many of these new solutions have come about because Domain India actually listens to its customers. Its team frequently runs surveys to see what kinds of features and improvements people care about most.

It’s as Suresh said: “Customer feedback guides our decision-making.”

“Every interaction with our support team provides valuable insights into common challenges, feature requests, and customer priorities,” he added. “By prioritizing open communication and consistently updating our knowledge-sharing platforms, we ensure that our road map aligns with real-world customer needs and expectations.”

Without further ado, here’s a glance at what Domain India is adding soon:

• AI-Powered Chatbot: A new chatbot is in the works to help customers troubleshoot issues, find solutions, and get support in real time
• Scalable Cloud Hosting: Soon, Domain India is rolling out cloud hosting to give businesses more flexibility, performance, and better ability to scale
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): A new PaaS solution is being developed to make building, launching, and scaling apps easier for developers working across different tech stacks
• Email Hosting Solutions: Secure and reliable email hosting is coming soon, which is a must-have for any business that wants to come off as professional.
• Hyperlocal Marketing Tools: New, hyperlocal (geographic-based) marketing tools are designed to help businesses connect with local audiences.
• Community Forum: A user-friendly community forum is in the works — and Suresh said the goal is to encourage collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and engagement among customers

“These initiatives reflect our commitment to innovation and customer success, ensuring businesses have access to cutting-edge tools and services that support growth, performance, and reliability,” Suresh added.

Based on this alone, it’s clear that Domain India is quickly positioning itself as a one-stop shop for everything you need when building a site, whether you’re an inexperienced eCommerce store owner or a seasoned web developer or agency. This kind of advancement seems to be what’s needed in India’s rapidly growing digital landscape — and if you ask me, it’s not just admirable; it’s incredibly impressive.

It always helps to work with a company that actually understands where you’re coming from and what you’re looking for. Whether you’re buying a domain, building a website, or working on something else, take a look at Domain India for yourself.