Glossary Of Terms

“Since definitions shape thought and meaningful consistent dialogue, it is a necessary prerequisite to consistently use terms and definitions”

Free

"Free as in Market, rather than Free as in Beer."

Free in the peering discussion context implies "umetered," fixed costs that will be shared by participants. It further implies that peering can occur freely, without the need for protracted, or indeed any, negotiations.

Peering

"The exchange of traffic between members of different, directly connected, networks"

Peering is the most efficient way to fulfil the goal of the Internet, allowing customers of different network operators to exchange information with best performance and lowest cost.

Transit

"The carriage of traffic by a network(s) that neither correspondent is a member of."

Transit is a way to reach and exchange information with networks that your network is not directly connected to. It is generally more costly and involves greater distances and can imply reduced performance.

It is sometimes qualified by terms like "Domestic," "National" or "International."

Upstream

"A single transit supplier."

If a network has a single transit provider, who would then arrange and charge for exchange of traffic with the remainder of the Internt, that provider is sometimes referred to as "their upstream."

There is no reason to have a single transit supplier, a different transit supplier for National and International transit is a common example.