Nxtra strengthens tier 3 & 4 cities with edge data centres

As demand from OTT platforms and content delivery network (CDN) providers continues to grow, Bharti Airtel’s data centre arm, Nxtra by Airtel, is expanding its presence beyond major metropolitan areas, with a focus on regional empowerment. According to Ashish Arora, CEO of Nxtra, the company has recently extended its edge infrastructure in key strategic cities to improve regional access to digital services, thereby supporting India’s digital growth.

Arora noted that edge data centres have become vital in the current landscape, driven by the need for low-latency, high-performance content delivery. To ensure seamless streaming experiences even in smaller towns, Nxtra now operates over 120 edge facilities across more than 65 cities, alongside 14 hyperscale data centres.

"We’ve enhanced our edge presence in crucial cities such as Agartala, Patna, Guwahati, Sambalpur, Gangaganj, and Vijayawada, with a strong focus on regional empowerment," Arora shared in a LinkedIn post. "These state-of-the-art facilities extend digital infrastructure well beyond metropolitan hubs, bringing faster connectivity and reduced bandwidth costs to users in tier 3 and tier 4 cities, especially vital for live and high-definition streaming."

Dedication to sustainability 

In 2024, Nxtra by Airtel joined the RE100 initiative, committing to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2031. As part of its push for sustainability, Nxtra recently hosted sustainability experts and RE100 core members at its Whitefield Data Centre to showcase its green energy initiatives, including the deployment of hydrogen-ready fuel cells.

Airtel had previously announced in 2022 a partnership between Nxtra and Bloom Energy to install low-impact fuel cells at its data centre in Karnataka. Nxtra became the first data centre company in India to implement low-carbon, hydrogen-ready fuel cell technology. Looking ahead, Nxtra plans to invest USD 600 million to scale its capacity to approximately 400 MW by 2027, aiming to position India as a global leader in digital and artificial intelligence infrastructure.