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Qwest’s North America IP Network Peering Policy
August 15, 2008
- Overview
Qwest Communications Company ("Qwest")
strives to provide premier direct Internet access
to all customers. To accomplish this, Qwest has
developed this peering policy to provide guidelines
for the selection of Interconnection Candidates
based in North America. Qwest selects Interconnection
Candidates based upon, among other things, costs,
port availability and bandwidth capacity at particular
locations, and the overall strategic benefit Qwest
will experience with the connection. Compliance
with the technical and operational requirements
in the policy does not guarantee a peering relationship
with Qwest.
In an attempt to measure accurately the traffic
ratios between Qwest and Interconnection Candidate,
Qwest may require a trial peering connection with
Interconnection Candidate. Such a trial will only
occur pursuant to a Peering Trial Agreement. Although
Qwest only considers private peering initiatives,
Qwest may agree to enter into a public interconnection
relationship as part of the trial connection. In
no case will a public peering connection continue
beyond an initial trial. A successful peering trial
does not guarantee that Qwest will agree to peer
with Interconnection Candidate.
- Basic Definitions
- “IP Network” means a communications
network running TCP/IP and other Internet protocols.
- “Interconnection Point” means the
place where two IP Networks are connected by dedicated
bandwidth for the purpose of exchanging Internet
traffic.
- “Route” means a unique path along
which data is directed on the public Internet
and/or on either party’s IP Network.
- “Border Gateway Protocol 4” or
“BGP4” means protocol used to exchange
routing information between collaborating routers
on the Internet.
- “Peering” is the settlement-free
exchange of IP traffic between service providers
operating IP Networks.
- Technical Requirements
- Network Capacity Requirements: Interconnection
Candidate will have 10GE/OC192 pop to pop trunking
speeds, i.e., a 10GE/OC192 backbone.
- Scope of IP Network: Interconnection Candidate
will have a national network with IP traffic termination
("IP Pops") in a minimum of 10 major
Metropolitan Statistical Areas located in at least
three U.S. time zones, which will include the
Eastern, Pacific, and Central time zones.
- Interconnect: Interconnect Candidate will have
the ability to interconnect with Qwest in a minimum
of six geographically diverse Interconnection
Points where Qwest has interconnection points
of presence. The Interconnection Candidate must
have the ability to interconnect directly at GE
(1 Gbps) or greater capacity levels at each point
of interconnection.
- Traffic Ratios: Interconnect Candidate will
have a 1.5:1 aggregate traffic ratio with 5 Gbps
sustained bi-directional traffic flows, measured
at 95% peak. The traffic must be balanced across
three time zones. The Interconnection Candidate
must provide 24-hour peak and average traffic
volume statistics at each Interconnection Point.
The quantity and speed of circuits between Qwest
and Interconnection Candidate will be determined
by overall traffic between the two parties, and
will be reviewed periodically.
- Routes: Interconnection Candidate must carry
full customer routes in Interconnect routers,
and announce consistent routes using BGP4 at all
peering locations. Interconnection Candidate must
use the same peering AS at each U.S. interconnection
point. Interconnection Candidate must not establish
a route of last resort (i.e., default route) directed
toward Qwest. The Interconnection Candidate may
not advertise third party routes that allow direct
traffic exchange (in either direction) between
Qwest and customers of the Interconnection Candidate.
- Transit Autonomous Systems: Interconnection
Candidate will provide transit services to at
least 500 unique IP Networks/Autonomous Systems.
- Operational Requirements
- Interconnection Candidate must have a fully
staffed, 24x7x365, network operations center (
“NOC”).
- Interconnection Candidate must provide 48 hours
notice to Qwest NOC for scheduled maintenance.
- Interconnection Candidate must provide trouble
reporting and escalation procedures to Qwest.
Qwest must have the ability to open tickets with
Interconnection Candidate.
- Interconnection Candidate must maintain a publicly
accessible looking glass server with BGP views
and traceroute capabilities from 5 cities spread
across 3 U.S. time zones.
- General Information
- The peering policy is only a guideline. Meeting
or exceeding all of the above requirements does
not guarantee Qwest will enter into a peering
relationship with Interconnection Candidate.
- Peering will only occur if Qwest and Interconnection
Candidate reach agreement on the terms of a Peering
Agreement.
- Qwest maintains the right to change this policy
at any time without written notification. It is
the responsibility of Interconnection Candidate
to maintain compliance with the policy. The policy
is located at www.Qwest.com/legal.
- Send peering inquiries to peering@qwest.com.
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