ICANN85 in Mumbai: Why Internet Governance Now Shapes CX Strategy

ICANN85 in Mumbai: Why Internet Governance Is Becoming a CX Imperative for Digital Leaders

Ever tried resolving a customer issue that spiraled across regions, languages, and platforms—only to discover the problem wasn’t your product, but the Internet layer beneath it?

A fintech app fails in one geography.
A global brand’s site loads slowly in local languages.
An AI chatbot misunderstands users because scripts don’t render consistently.

These moments feel like CX failures.
In reality, they often trace back to how the Internet itself is governed, named, and scaled.

That’s why ICANN85, happening in Mumbai from 7–12 March 2026, matters far beyond policy circles. Hosted by NIXI under MeitY, the meeting lands at a pivotal moment for CX, EX, and digital trust leaders worldwide.

This isn’t just about domain names.
It’s about experience continuity in a fragmented digital world.

What Is ICANN85 and Why Should CX Leaders Care?

ICANN85 is ICANN’s 85th Public Meeting, where global stakeholders shape how the Internet remains stable, secure, and interoperable.

For CX teams, ICANN decisions influence discoverability, language access, digital trust, and journey reliability across markets.

ICANN coordinates the Internet’s unique identifiers.
That includes domain names, IP addresses, and protocols customers never see—but always experience.

When these systems fracture, customer journeys fracture too.

Why Is Mumbai a Strategic Signal for Global CX and EX?

India’s role as host signals a shift toward experience-led Internet scale, not just infrastructure growth.

India now has over one billion Internet users, many accessing services in non-English scripts, mobile-first contexts, and low-bandwidth environments.

This mirrors the challenges CX leaders face globally:

• Multilingual customers
• Mobile-dominant journeys
• Trust gaps in emerging markets
• AI systems trained on narrow data sets

Hosting ICANN85 in Mumbai places real-world user complexity at the center of Internet governance.

As Shri S. Krishnan, IAS, Secretary, MeitY and Chairman of NIXI, noted, India’s digital transformation depends on an open, inclusive, and resilient Internet.

For CX, that translates into designing for diversity, not averages.

How Does Internet Governance Shape Customer Experience Outcomes?

Internet governance determines whether digital experiences scale smoothly or break silently.

CX teams often optimize the visible layers:

• UX design
• Journey orchestration
• Conversational AI
• Omnichannel flows

Yet the invisible layer—the DNS and naming system—defines:

• Whether users can find you
• Whether local scripts render correctly
• Whether trust signals remain consistent

A misaligned domain strategy can undo years of CX investment.

Why the New gTLD Program Matters to CX Strategy

The New gTLD Program allows organizations to apply for customized top-level domains aligned to brand, culture, or community.

Launching in April 2026, this round follows ICANN85 immediately.

For CX leaders, this opens new possibilities:

• Brand-owned digital ecosystems
• Region- or language-specific journeys
• Community-based trust signals

Imagine:

• .care for healthcare journeys
• .bank reinforcing trust in BFSI
• Language-script domains for local-first access

Domains stop being addresses.
They become experience cues.

How New gTLDs Enable Journey Ownership

Custom gTLDs reduce dependency on fragmented platforms and third-party trust layers.

CX teams gain:

• Clearer navigation paths
• Stronger phishing resistance
• Consistent brand signals across touchpoints

For EX teams, this simplifies:

• Internal portals
• Knowledge systems
• Partner ecosystems

Less friction.
More confidence.

What Does a Truly Multilingual Internet Mean for CX?

A multilingual Internet allows users to engage fully in their native language and script—not just consume translated content.

ICANN85 places heavy emphasis on multilingualism, aligning with India’s .भारत domain and global inclusion goals.

For CX, this shifts priorities:

• Language is not cosmetic
• Script accuracy affects trust
• AI comprehension depends on governance standards

Chatbots trained only in English fail silently in local contexts.
Voice interfaces misinterpret intent.
Search relevance drops.

Governance decisions upstream affect emotional resonance downstream.

How the Multistakeholder Model Impacts Experience Design

The multistakeholder model ensures governments, businesses, civil society, and technical experts co-create Internet policy.

This model mirrors modern CX operating models:

• Cross-functional teams
• Shared accountability
• Continuous iteration

ICANN85 reinforces that no single entity owns the Internet experience.

For CX leaders, this validates ecosystem thinking:

• Partners shape journeys
• Platforms influence trust
• Policy affects accessibility

Experience leadership now requires external alignment, not just internal excellence.

What Changed After WSIS+20—and Why It Matters Now?

WSIS+20 reaffirmed the Internet as a shared global resource governed through multistakeholder collaboration.

Adopted in December 2025, it reinforced:

• Stability
• Openness
• Interoperability

This matters because:

• Governments resisted fragmentation
• Private platforms avoided overreach
• User rights stayed central

ICANN85 is the first public meeting after WSIS+20.
Momentum matters.

For CX leaders, this creates predictability—a rare asset in volatile digital markets.

Where CX Leaders Usually Go Wrong with Internet-Scale Thinking

Common Pitfalls

• Treating domains as IT assets only
• Ignoring language governance in AI rollouts
• Over-indexing on apps while neglecting web trust
• Assuming connectivity equals accessibility

These blind spots surface as:

• Drop-offs
• Trust erosion
• Regional underperformance

The fix isn’t better UX alone.
It’s better infrastructure empathy.

A Practical Framework: The CX Infrastructure Alignment Model

This model connects Internet governance to frontline experience outcomes.

Layer 1: Identity

Domains, naming, authenticity signals

Layer 2: Accessibility

Language, script, bandwidth sensitivity

Layer 3: Reliability

Resolution speed, stability, consistency

Layer 4: Trust

Security perception, phishing resistance

Layer 5: Experience

Journeys, emotion, loyalty

Most CX teams start at Layer 5.
Leaders work top-down and bottom-up.

Why ICANN Community Recognition Matters for CX Culture

The ICANN Community Excellence Award celebrates consensus-building and sustained contribution.

This signals a cultural truth:

• Durable systems reward collaboration
• Loud voices don’t equal lasting impact

For EX leaders, this reinforces:

• Psychological safety
• Long-term stewardship
• Shared ownership

Strong CX cultures mirror strong governance cultures.

What CXQuest Sees Emerging from ICANN85

Across CXQuest’s coverage of AI governance, trust-led CX, and digital resilience, three patterns stand out:

• CX is moving upstream
• Infrastructure decisions shape emotion
• Governance literacy is becoming a CX skill

ICANN85 accelerates all three.

Key Insights for CX and EX Leaders

• Internet governance is now a CX concern
• Domains influence trust and discoverability
• Multilingual access drives inclusion and growth
• Multistakeholder models mirror CX maturity

Ignoring these signals risks experience fragility.

FAQ: ICANN85 and CX Strategy

How does ICANN affect customer experience?

ICANN manages Internet identifiers that influence accessibility, trust, and reliability across digital journeys.

Why should non-technical CX leaders pay attention?

Because infrastructure failures surface as experience failures customers blame on brands.

What is the CX value of the New gTLD Program?

It enables clearer brand identity, localized journeys, and stronger trust signals.

How does multilingual Internet governance impact AI CX?

AI systems rely on consistent scripts and naming standards to understand intent accurately.

Is ICANN85 relevant only to global enterprises?

No. Any organization serving multilingual or cross-border users is affected.

Actionable Takeaways for CX Professionals

1. Audit your domain strategy for trust, clarity, and localization.
2. Map language gaps across journeys, not just content layers.
3. Engage IT early in CX planning discussions.
4. Align AI training data with multilingual governance standards.
5. Monitor Internet policy shifts as CX risk indicators.
6. Design journeys for interoperability, not platform lock-in.
7. Educate CX teams on infrastructure-level experience drivers.

The future of CX won’t be won only in design labs or dashboards.
It will be shaped in rooms like ICANN85 in Mumbai, where the Internet itself is being reimagined.

For CX leaders, the message is clear:
If you don’t engage with how the Internet works, your customers will show you where it breaks.

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