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Qwest’s North America IP Network Peering Policy
April, 8, 2004
- Overview
Qwest Communications
Corporation (“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 shall 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
shall have OC192
pop to pop trunking
speeds, i.e., an
OC192 backbone.
- Scope of IP Network: Interconnection Candidate shall 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 shall include the Eastern,
Pacific, and Central
time zones.
- Interconnect: Interconnect Candidate shall 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 OC-12 (622 mbps)
or
greater capacity levels
at each point of
interconnection.
- Traffic Ratios: Interconnect Candidate shall have a 1.5:1
aggregate traffic
ratio with 600
Mbps sustained
bi-directional traffic flows. The distribution must be a minimum
60/40 ratio
of bi-directional
traffic balanced
in 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 shall 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Qwest may exempt certain IP Networks, including but not
limited to non-profit
networks and governmental networks, from meeting certain peering requirements.
- 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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