What is Internet Peering?

In computer networking, internet peering is a process of voluntary interconnection between different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and their networks, in which traffic is exchanged directly with each other seamlessly.??According to Peering. (2023, August 13), settlement-free peering is also known as “bill-and-keep” or “sender-keeps-all”, which means that the service is free to both parties in the interest of a free flow of data between the ISPs and between their users.??Schluting, C. (2007, November 14) mentions that peering is not just an ISP-to-ISP transaction but can be business to business, school to school or one of many other arrangements.

A peering point, which is known as an Internet Exchange Point (IXP), is a physical location where networks can be connected to exchange data traffic directly. Peering points are important intersections in the structure of the global internet.??Howard, C. (2021, November 4) states that peering points can be either public or private.??Public peering allows open access to all, whether there are blackouts or slow speeds regionally, due to equal sharing of resources.

The number of available peering points and ISPs can vary greatly depending on the location.??(Peering. 2023, August 13) claims that the largest IXP is in Sao Paolo, Brazil and has 2,289 peering networks.??The next largest is OpenIXP in Jakarta, Indonesia with 1,097 peering networks, then DE-CIX in Frankfort, Germany, with 1,050 peering networks.??The Wikipedia article goes on to say that the United States is generally more concerned with private and commercial peering network agreements, which produces less visible public peering traffic than other countries.??Equinox is widely considered to be the largest IXP operator with many exchanges worldwide, but their numbers are not published.??Major peering hubs can host hundreds or even thousands of networks and ISPs.??The exact number would require real time data.??My sources extend to the year 2021.

Peering. (2023, August 13).?Wikipedia.?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peering

Schluting, C. (2007, November 14). Networking 101: Understanding Internet Routing and Peering.?Enterprise Networking Planet.?https://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/standards-protocols/networking-101-understanding-internet-routing-and-peering/

Howard, C. (2021, November 4). What is a Peering Point?.?Akibia.?https://www.akibia.com/what-is-a-peering-point/