Peering

Peering refers to the direct interconnection of two or more independent networks, typically autonomous systems, for the purpose of exchanging traffic. Communication is commonly established using the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). The objective is to route data directly between participating networks instead of sending it through an external transit provider. This can reduce latency, optimise network paths and lower transit costs. Peering can be implemented through a direct physical connection as Private Peering or through an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) as Public Peering. Depending on the agreement, traffic exchange may be settlement-free or involve commercial charges. The approach is widely used by Internet Service Providers, cloud providers, content providers and large enterprise networks and contributes to an efficient and high-performance internet infrastructure.