Internet Connectivity Distribution & Core

A Tier 2 network is an

Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privatel ...

which engages in the practice of

peering In computer networking, peering is a voluntary interconnection of administratively separate Internet networks for the purpose of exchanging traffic between the "down-stream" users of each network. Peering is settlement-free, also known as "bill-a ...

with other networks, but which also purchases IP transit to reach some portion of the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

. Tier 2 providers are the most common Internet service providers, as it is much easier to purchase

transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

from a Tier 1 network than to peer with them and attempt to become a Tier 1 carrier. The term Tier 3 is sometimes also used to describe networks who solely purchase IP transit from other networks to reach the Internet.

List of large or important Tier 2 networks

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tier 2 Network Internet architecture

List of large or important Tier 2 networks

See also

References