SANOG (South Asian Network Operators Group) is the premier community-driven forum for Internet infrastructure professionals in South Asia. Established in 2003, SANOG was created to bring together network operators, Internet service providers, engineers, researchers, educators, regulators, and technology leaders for a common purpose: to strengthen the technical foundations of the Internet through collaboration, education, and shared operational experience. The first SANOG meeting was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, marking the beginning of a regional movement that continues to shape the evolution of Internet operations across South Asia.
SANOG is a non-profit and non-commercial community platform. Its primary mission is not product promotion or commercial sales, but capacity building, knowledge exchange, and cooperative development of Internet ecosystems across the region. It serves as a trusted neutral space where practitioners can openly discuss real-world technical challenges, emerging technologies, routing security, DNS operations, IPv6 deployment, peering, data center evolution, automation, resilience, and policy matters that affect the operational Internet.
Why SANOG Matters
The Internet in South Asia serves billions of people across highly diverse geographies, economies, and stages of digital maturity. Building robust connectivity in such an environment requires more than equipment and bandwidth—it requires skilled people, trusted relationships, and shared expertise. SANOG fills that need by developing human capacity and regional cooperation. It enables engineers from different countries and organizations to learn directly from one another, compare operational practices, solve common problems, and adopt global standards suited to local realities.
For many professionals in the region, SANOG has been a gateway to deeper technical excellence. It has helped nurture generations of network engineers, system administrators, cybersecurity practitioners, and Internet architects who now lead critical infrastructure projects in their own countries and across the world.
Core Pillars of SANOG
Education & Skills Development
A defining strength of SANOG is its hands-on technical learning model. Meetings often include intensive workshops, tutorials, and operational training delivered by recognized experts from around the world. Topics commonly include BGP, IPv6, network security, DNS/DNSSEC, automation, Wi-Fi engineering, incident response, traffic engineering, data center fabrics, and monitoring systems.
Community & Collaboration
SANOG creates professional relationships that extend far beyond conference halls. Engineers meet peers facing similar technical and business challenges, creating a regional support network built on trust and cooperation. These human connections are often as valuable as the formal sessions.
Regional Internet Development
By sharing knowledge and best practices, SANOG contributes directly to the growth, resilience, and modernization of South Asia’s Internet infrastructure. Better networks, stronger security, improved routing practices, and greater local expertise all translate into better digital services for society.
Inclusion & Opportunity
Through fellowship programs and community support, SANOG has historically helped participants from developing environments attend workshops and conferences. This expands access to learning and ensures that talent—not geography or budget alone—can shape the future of the regional Internet community.
Empowering Inclusion and Women in Internet Leadership
A defining strength of SANOG is its deliberate commitment to inclusion and diversity within the technical community. Through its long-running Fellowship Program, SANOG has opened doors for engineers, educators, decision-makers, and emerging professionals from across South Asia who may otherwise face financial barriers to participation. In recent years, this commitment has gone even further by actively encouraging women applicants and local women professionals in order to strengthen female representation in the Internet and network industries. This is a significant and forward-looking initiative, because stronger participation by women brings broader perspectives, deeper talent pools, and more sustainable community leadership for the region’s digital future. SANOG’s fellowship model, therefore, does more than fund attendance—it helps build a more inclusive generation of Internet leaders for South Asia.
Geographic Scope
SANOG primarily serves the South Asian region, including:
It also welcomes participation from the wider Asia-Pacific and global Internet community.
Among the South Asian member countries, Afghanistan and Maldives are the only nations yet to host a SANOG conference, reflecting future opportunities for broader regional participation and community expansion.
A Legacy of Regional Gatherings
Over the years, SANOG meetings have been hosted across multiple countries in South Asia, reflecting its rotating and inclusive community model. Events have taken place in cities such as Kathmandu, Dhaka, Mumbai, Islamabad, Thimphu, Colombo, and others. Each edition combines local leadership with international expertise, making every meeting both regionally rooted and globally connected.
Partnerships & Ecosystem Linkages
SANOG has built relationships with key global and regional Internet institutions, including APRICOT, APNIC, APNOG, Internet Society, ICANN, APCERT, NSRC, and other operational communities. These linkages help bring world-class expertise, training resources, and broader collaboration opportunities to South Asia.
SANOG Today
Today, SANOG stands as one of the most respected technical communities in the region. It is more than an event series—it is a living network of professionals committed to building a stronger, safer, and more inclusive Internet for South Asia. Whether someone is a new engineer attending their first workshop or a veteran operator presenting advanced research, SANOG offers a place to learn, contribute, and grow.