Sooner or later, almost every growing business hears the same request from a vendor or IT person: "We need your static IP." It might be the bank setting up a payment integration, the CCTV installer who wants to show cameras on your phone, or the software vendor who will only allow logins from your office.
If your office is on ordinary broadband, the honest answer is often that you do not have one. This guide explains what a static IP address is, why many Indian broadband connections cannot provide one, and how businesses usually get one.
What is a static IP address?
Every device that talks on the internet needs a public IP address, a bit like a postal address for data. A static IP address is a public address that is assigned to your connection permanently. It stays the same today, tomorrow and after your router restarts.
A dynamic IP address is borrowed from a pool and can change whenever your router reconnects, or at regular intervals set by the provider. For browsing, email and video calls, a changing address makes no difference. It only matters when someone or something outside your office needs to find you, or needs to recognise you.
Static vs dynamic IP at a glance
- Static IP: fixed, reachable from outside, can be whitelisted, usually supplied with leased lines
- Dynamic IP: changes over time, fine for everyday use, standard on most broadband plans
Why many broadband connections in India cannot give you one
Public IPv4 addresses are scarce worldwide. The regional registry for Asia Pacific, APNIC, has long since run through its main pool, and new addresses are hard to come by. To cope, many broadband providers in India place large numbers of customers behind shared addresses using a technique called carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT).
With CGNAT, your office does not have its own public address at all. It shares one with many other subscribers. That means nobody outside can reach a device in your office directly, and a bank or software vendor cannot whitelist "your" IP because it is not only yours. Some broadband plans offer a static IP as a paid add-on, but availability varies by provider and area.
When does a business need a static IP?
You need a static IP when the outside world has to reach you, or has to trust traffic coming from you. Common cases include:
- Remote CCTV access. Viewing your NVR or DVR from a phone or another branch without relying on a cloud relay.
- Site-to-site VPN. Connecting branches, a warehouse or a factory to head office securely. At least one end needs a fixed address.
- Remote access for staff. A VPN server or firewall in the office that employees connect to from home.
- IP whitelisting. Banks, payment gateways, ERP and accounting vendors, and some government and corporate systems only accept connections from approved IP addresses.
- Hosting services in the office. A mail server, an FTP server, a web application or a biometric attendance server that needs to be reached from outside.
- SIP trunks and IP telephony. Many voice providers authenticate your phone system by its IP address.
If none of these apply to you, a dynamic IP on good broadband may be perfectly fine.
How to get a static IP address in India
There are three realistic routes for a business.
1. With an Internet Leased Line (most common)
An Internet Leased Line normally comes with static public IP addresses as part of the service. Because the connection is dedicated to you, the addresses are genuinely yours for the life of the contract, and you also get symmetrical speeds and an uptime SLA. For most businesses that need a static IP for serious work, this is the cleanest answer.
2. As an add-on to business broadband
Some providers sell a static IP as an add-on to business broadband plans. This can work for a small office that only needs remote CCTV or a single VPN, but check two things before you rely on it: that the address is a true public IP and not behind CGNAT, and what support you get if it stops working.
3. Through a cloud service or VPN gateway
For a few specific jobs, such as remote access, a cloud-hosted VPN or firewall can give you a fixed address in a data centre while your office stays on broadband. It adds a monthly cost and another system to manage, but it can be a stop-gap.
How many static IPs come with a leased line?
Static IPs are usually allocated in small blocks. The block size decides how many addresses you can actually use, because some addresses in each block are reserved for the network itself and the provider's gateway.
- /30 block: 4 addresses, typically 1 usable on your side
- /29 block: 8 addresses, typically 5 usable
- /28 block: 16 addresses, typically 13 usable
A single usable address is enough for most offices, because your firewall can share it across the whole network and forward specific services inward. Larger blocks are useful if you host several separate services. Because IPv4 is scarce, carriers often ask you to justify bigger blocks, and many now offer IPv6 alongside IPv4.
Keep a static IP secure
A fixed, publicly reachable address is also easier for attackers to find. If you use one, a few basics matter:
- Put a proper firewall between the internet and your network, not just the ISP's default router
- Change default passwords on CCTV recorders, routers and any device exposed to the internet
- Only open the ports you actually need, and close them when a project ends
- Prefer VPN access over exposing devices like NVRs directly to the internet
- Keep firmware updated and watch advisories from CERT-In, India's national cyber security agency
Our guide to securing multi-branch networks goes further, and our managed security service can set this up for you.
Getting a static IP with Adapt India Network
We supply Internet Leased Lines with static public IP addresses for offices in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Bengaluru and across India, through Tata Tele Business Services and ACT Fibernet. Tell us what you need the address for and we will recommend the right block size and set up the firewall rules with you. Contact us for a feasibility check.
