MTN POLICY FOR SETTLEMENT-FREE OR SHARED COST PEERING WITH OTHER INTERNET NETWORKS
Last Amendment date: 15 June 2009
Introduction
This document sets out MTN's policy for settlement-free or shared cost peering with other internet networks.
MTN reserves the right to update this policy at any time and the current version of this policy is available on the MTN Business public website at www.mtnbusiness.co.za.
The first section of this policy details the requirements that a network requesting peering (the “Requester”) must meet in order to qualify for settlement-free or shared cost peering.
The second section of the policy specifies the operational requirements for peering networks, which both the Requester and MTN must satisfy.
The third section deals with general notifications and requests regarding the policy.
This policy applies to all requests for settlement-free and shared cost peering with a MTN regional Internet network, either via dedicated connections (“direct peering”) or via traffic exchanged at a multi-party network access point ("public peering").
It must be noted that this policy establishes different requirements for each of MTN’s regional Internet networks and the local requirements are available from the associated MTN operational entity.
For purposes of this policy, a network must be presented to MTN Business with a single Autonomous System ("AS") number for BGP peering purposes and both parties must agree to accept and announce prefixes that have AS paths that begin with this single AS number and may not have additional copies of this AS or other AS numbers in the AS path.
It should be noted that MTN might use different AS numbers in various countries, however MTN also uses the same AS number in multiple countries. While peering relationships with such a shared AS may occur in multiple countries, this policy will be implemented, as appropriate, in the particular country where a peering agreement is entered into. If an agreement is reached in one country, this will not automatically entitle the Requester to an agreement in another country.
The fundamental principal that will be taken into consideration when agreeing on settlement free or shared cost peering is that the agreement should have equal value for both peering parties and must be economically viable. In order to determine this, the following requirements have been formulated as a guideline. However, MTN reserves the right to assess each application on its own merit.
Peering Requirements
Geographic Scope
The Requester must operate facilities capable of terminating IP customer leased line connections onto a device in at least 70% of the geographic region in which the MTN Internet network with which it desires to peer operates such facilities. By way of example, in South Africa this would equate to nodes in at least Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein. Other countries will have specific requirements applicable to that geographic area.
Traffic Exchange Ratio
The ratio of the aggregate amount of traffic exchanged between the Requester and the MTN Internet network with which it seeks to peer should be roughly balanced and shall not exceed 2:1.
Prior to the commencement of a peering relationship, the Requester shall provide MTN Business with traffic statistics motivating the relationship.
Backbone Capacity
In South Africa the Requester shall have a fully redundant backbone network in which the majority of its inter-hub trunk links, at least in major cities, shall be connected to the Requester’s network using at least STM1 fibre optic connections. The capacity of the peering links shall meet agreed minimum speed requirements, which will be amended from time to time as the networks develop in the specific country for peering with the MTN Business network. Peering will generally be done at multiple locations with adequate capacity in secondary locations to compensate for failure at the primary peering location and this must include backbone capacity to facilitate such alternate routing.
Traffic Volume
The aggregate amount of traffic exchanged in each direction over all peering links between the Requester and the MTN Business network with which it desires to peer shall meet pre-determined minimum levels in order to ensure the economic viability of the relationship.
Transit Autonomous Systems
The Requester may be required to provide transit services to a minimum number of Internet networks (Autonomous Systems).
Non – Transit
From a practical technical perspective, the Requestor may not simultaneously be a peer and a transit customer.
Operational Requirements
The following operational requirements apply both to the Requester and to the MTN Internet network with which it desires to enter into a settlement-free peering arrangement:
Each party must establish and maintain traffic exchange links of a sufficient robustness, aggregate capacity, and geographic dispersion to facilitate mutually acceptable performance across the peering links. In some cases it may be agreed to share the costs of a regional link (Shared cost peering).
Each party must operate a fully functional adequately manned 24x7 Network Operations Centre helpdesk.
Each party must set “next hop” on its network to be itself, the advertising router of the network. Each party will propagate such routes to its transit customers with its own router as “next hop”.
Each party shall implement "shortest exit routing" and advertise routes consistent with that policy, unless both parties mutually agree otherwise based on special circumstances.
Each party will restrict its advertisements on its network to non-transit routes originating within the geographic region for which peering is established and will not propagate the received route announcements outside such region unless specifically agreed to by both parties.
Each party must operate a fully redundant network, capable of handling a simultaneous single-node outage in each network without significantly affecting the performance of the traffic being exchanged.
Prior to entering into a peering relationship, the two entities will agree methods to be used for measuring traffic flows, troubleshooting of peering-related issues, and for auditing purposes.
Each entity must have processes in place to deal with and be responsive to unsolicited email and network abuse complaints, as well as routing and security issues and must be capable of providing a suitably knowledgeable technician within a four-hour period after notice. Each party will maintain an Acceptable Use Policy, which is effectively policed.
Neither party will implement uneven traffic treatment on a peering link, which would for example favour its traffic over that of the peer, or implement traffic limiting targeted at specific customers or protocols, etc. The links will be provisioned on a bilateral best effort basis.
Notifications and Requests
The parties must enter into mutual non-disclosure and peering agreements. Neither party may disclose statistics relative to the peering relationship with out the other party’s prior written consent.
The Requestor must be compliant with the requirements as set out herein at the time that the request for settlement-free peering with MTN is made.
The Requester shall adhere to the requirements under this policy at all times and compliance will be monitored.
The Requester undertakes to notify MTN immediately of any change of ownership or control of such party or its network and MTN in its sole discretion reserves the right to terminate any peering or peering agreement based on such change of ownership or control.
MTN will continuously monitor the development of the Internet and traffic conditions and will make appropriate changes to this policy as the Internet continues to evolve. MTN reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify this policy at any time. No rights are granted under this policy and rights are derived only once a peering agreement has been entered into with MTN Business.
All requests for settlement-free or shared cost peering should be submitted to MTN via e-mail to peering@mtnbusiness.co.za.