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A Tier 1 ISP is a telco or Internet service provider IP network which connects to the rest of the Internet only via a practice known as peering. A telephone company (or telco) provides telecommunications services such as telephony and data communications. ...
An Internet service provider (ISP, also called Internet access provider or IAP) is a business or organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. ...
The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. ...
Peering is the practice of voluntarily interconnecting distinctly separate data networks on the Internet, for the purposes of exchanging traffic between the customers of the peered networks. ...
The name Tier 1 refers to their position at the top level of the "food chain" of network providers. The Tier 1 providers make settlement-free interconnection arrangements with other Tier 1 providers, in which the two networks agree to carry each other's traffic (so-called "peering" with one another) at no cost. As a result, no Tier 1 carriers have to pay for IP transit to any other Tier 1, and in general all other ISPs directly or indirectly pay the Tier 1s for access to their networks. Many of these other companies are still very large Internet providers, but since they purchase IP transit from other networks they are not considered Tier 1. Peering is the practice of exchanging Internet traffic between the data networks of different Internet service providers. ...
Peering is the practice of voluntarily interconnecting distinctly separate data networks on the Internet, for the purposes of exchanging traffic between the customers of the peered networks. ...
IP transit is a form by which wholesale Internet bandwidth is sold to Internet service providers (ISPs) and content providers. ...
Although there is no formal interconnection hierarchy, these lower-tier companies are in general divided into two categories:
- Tier 2 - A network who peers with other networks, but still pays for transit to reach some portion of the Internet.
- Tier 3 - A network who solely purchases transit from other networks to reach the Internet.
In general, Tier 1 providers own the physical medium over which information is carried, as well as the network equipment which manages that information, and are either telcos who pre-dated the Internet or early movers in the Internet market who managed to build up critical mass in the days prior to the introduction of paid transit agreements. A Tier 2 Carrier is one which pays for transit or peering and purchases only from Tier 1 carriers. ...
A Tier 2 carrier (or Tier 2 ISP) is an Internet service provider who peers with other networks, but still pays for IP transit to reach some portion of the Internet. ...
Although there is reasonable consensus about the meaning of the term "Tier 1", the term is today more significant in marketing terms than in terms of network engineering or performance, with many of the larger Tier 2 carriers having almost identical network performance to the Tier 1 carriers. In the same way, a sufficiently multihomed Tier 3 provider may also provide a high quality service, even though it owns very little physical network itself. Multihoming is a technique to increase the reliability of the internet connection for an IP network. ...
Marketing issues
The definition of a Tier 1 is a hotly-debated topic, due to its frequent use as a marketing term. Many networks incorrectly claim to be a Tier 1 simply due to ignorance of the term, leading to a corruption of meaning in which the vast majority of those claiming to be a Tier 1 network are not. The issue is further complicated by the non-disclosure agreements which surround almost all Tier 1 level peering; this makes it difficult for carriers to officially confirm or deny the existence of peering, the physical connection of two backbone networks to allow data to flow between them. Without peering, customers using computers at home that are connected to one Tier 1 network would not be able to reliably connect to users on another Tier 1 network. A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also called a confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), confidentiality agreement or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties which outlines confidentiality materials the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict from generalized use. ...
Peering is the practice of voluntarily interconnecting distinctly separate data networks on the Internet, for the purposes of exchanging traffic between the customers of the peered networks. ...
Some of the incorrect measurements which are commonly cited include numbers of routers (devices that direct data traffic between networks like a very advanced switchboard), route miles of fiber optic cable, or number of customers using a particular network. These are all valid ways to measure a network, but have no direct relationship to the status of "Tier 1". Another common area of debate is whether it is possible to become a Tier 1 through the purchase of "paid peering", or settlement-based interconnections which would allow a network to buy this status. The current opinion of most Peering Coordinators is that a true "Tier 1" is one which is entirely settlement-free and gained on the network's own merits. Tier 1 networks' peering points are typically done freely between networks of equal sizes because it is mutually beneficial. When one company is doing more work than the other, often quoted as twice the data, the larger will sometimes demand payment. This payment agreement is called transit instead of peering. A D-Link Wi-Fi NAT router, popular for home and small office networks A router is a computer networking device that forwards data packets across an internetwork toward their destinations, through a process known as routing. ...
IP transit is a form by which wholesale Internet bandwidth is sold to large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content providers. ...
Peering is the practice of voluntarily interconnecting distinctly separate data networks on the Internet, for the purposes of exchanging traffic between the customers of the peered networks. ...
Peering issues Tier 1 networks are often noted for their extremely restrictive peering policies, which are generally regarded as being intended to set the bar for peering so high that no new networks can meet them. In addition to the obvious competitive advantage for marketing, Tier 1's gain a significant portion of their IP Transit revenue from traffic which stays "on-net", by being delivered between two customers without ever leaving its network. IP transit is a form by which wholesale Internet bandwidth is sold to large Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and content providers. ...
Disputes over peering arrangements between Tier 1 providers, and often between Tier 1 and 2 providers, have frequently been the cause of disruptions of Internet traffic. These disruptions primarily affect direct customers of each provider, who will no longer be able to contact direct customers of the other provider.
Routing issues Because Tier 1 carriers are "transit-free", they can have greater control over their routing compared to other ISPs, which theoretically helps them choose better routes for their traffic, all else being equal.
However, "Tier 1" does not equate to "better bandwidth" and many tier 2 and tier 3 providers can offer levels of service which compare very well with Tier 1 networks.
List of Tier 1 IPv4 ISPs The following are believed to be the only Tier 1 ISPs worldwide: This list follows the definition of a tier 1, that is an ISP that is settlement free and buys no transit or peering from anyone. AOL LLC (formerly America Online, Inc) is an American-based online service provider, Internet service provider, and media company operated by Time Warner. ...
In the Internet, an autonomous system (AS) is a collection of IP networks and routers, under the control of one or more entities, that presents a common routing policy to the Internet. ...
AT&T Inc. ...
Global Crossing Ltd. ...
Level 3 Communications NASDAQ: LVLT is a communications and information services company and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, USA. The company operates one of the largest communications and Internet backbones in the world, making it a Tier 1 carrier. ...
Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is a major telecom company based in New York City. ...
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (日本電信電話 Nippon Denshin Denwa) is a telephone company that dominates the telecommunication market in Japan. ...
Qwest Communications International Inc. ...
SAVVIS, Inc. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
See also On the web: A Tier 2 Carrier is one which pays for transit or peering and purchases only from Tier 1 carriers. ...
Peering is the practice of voluntarily interconnecting distinctly separate data networks on the Internet, for the purposes of exchanging traffic between the customers of the peered networks. ...
Network Access Point (NAP) is the original term for the data communications facilities built in the early days of the Internet to provide on-ramp access to higher-speed Internet links (which were typically transcontinental or intercontinental in extent). ...
- KeyNote's current status of global internet connections
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