Peering at the Bar

Peering at different points in the network

Peering allows two networks to connect and exchange traffic directly, without having to pay a third party to carry traffic across the Internet. The network peering function is a critical part of the networking infrastructure. Peering requires scaling in terms of a routing table exchange and network architecture evolution, which calls for additional peering points in different locations of the network. As network traffic continues to grow and Internet connections speeds increase, service providers are coming to reconsider the design of their peering networks.