Peering meaning

In legal and commercial practice, peering describes direct interconnection between Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or other network operators to exchange Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing announcements and carry traffic so each can reach the other’s customers. It is an industry term, not defined in UK or Irish legislation or case law, but widely used in telecoms contracts and regulatory discussions. Peering commonly occurs at Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) (public peering) or via private cross‑connects (private peering). Commercial models include settlement‑free peering and paid peering, documented in peering policies, memoranda of understanding, or formal peering agreements. It differs from IP transit, where a network pays another to reach third‑party destinations. Key legal features typically addressed are: capacity and traffic ratio thresholds, technical standards and change control, service levels or availability targets, security and incident coordination (including blackholing/filtering), fees and billing (if any), termination rights, and exclusions/limitations of liability. While peering is generally not subject to sector‑specific price or access regulation, arrangements must comply with competition law (e.g., Competition Act 1998, Irish Competition Act 2002, and EU/UK prohibitions on anti‑competitive agreements). Conduct by operators with market power may attract scrutiny by Ofcom or ComReg. Usage and practical effect are broadly consistent across England &...