This is from the perspective of an eyeball network. I understand that content networks would have different objectives and reasons. For instance, I have little to no reason as an eyeball network to exchange traffic with any other eyeball network (aside from P2P games). For a content network, getting into the eyeball networks is their objective.
My crystal ball tells me this thread will spiral out of control because people won’t be able to keep it on topic, but it is a question that I hear VERY often. I also expect a lot of purely bad or outdated information to get thrown out.
Please try to keep it on topic and not being pedantic over relatively unimportant details.
There are two major low-cost providers, Cogent and HE.
Cogent
Refuses to peer IPv6 with HE
Refuses to peer IPv6 with Google
Aggressive sales tactics
Hurricane
Doesn’t have Cogent IPv6 because of Cogent’s refusal
Lack of communities for anything other than blackholes
I know there are a variety of other providers such as Fusion Network that operate at similar price points, but are available in way fewer locations.
What else is out there? Anyone else that isn’t 5x, 10x the cost?
Cogent and HE get looked down upon (and sometimes deservedly so), but when I talk to someone trying to sell me a port in 350 Cermak for 8x the cost of Cogent and HE, you better have a very good argument for why you’re worth it… and they never do. “We’re not Cogent.” “and?” Many times I’m quoted transit that costs more than Cogent + IX + HE and they don’t really have a good argument for it.
As an eyeball, I join an IX and there goes 50% - 85% of my traffic and almost all of my traffic that anyone is going to notice or complain about if there are issues (video streaming).
I do understand that enterprise eyeballs may have different requirements.
I’ve been pretty happy with NTT but their POPs can be limited; I’ve had to pick up waves to them, which sometimes still comes out ahead. I’m slowly dropping Cogent due to the v6 issues. I haven’t been able to try HE because they and a frequent colo provider I use (Switch) don’t seem to get along.
The details you mentioned about Cogent and HE are still right.
I’m managing an eyeball network and have Cogent in our blend but I also have three other Tier1s and VERY extensive peering (public and private). We have (from the cheapest to most expensive) Cogent, Telia, Zayo and Tata. I have to mention that we’re based in Montreal so less choices compared to your market. The only two other Tier1s available in Montrea is GTT and Lumen/CL/Level3.
Cogent: difficult relations, good service overall
Telia: excellent relations, good service overall
Tata: good relations, good service overall
Zayo: difficult relations, good service overall
This is from the perspective of an eyeball network. I understand that content networks would have different objectives and reasons. For instance, I have little to no reason as an eyeball network to exchange traffic with any other eyeball network (aside from P2P games). For a content network, getting into the eyeball networks is their objective.
My crystal ball tells me this thread will spiral out of control because people won’t be able to keep it on topic, but it is a question that I hear VERY often. I also expect a lot of purely bad or outdated information to get thrown out.
Please try to keep it on topic and not being pedantic over relatively unimportant details.
There are two major low-cost providers, Cogent and HE.
Cogent
Refuses to peer IPv6 with HE
Refuses to peer IPv6 with Google
Aggressive sales tactics
Hurricane
Doesn’t have Cogent IPv6 because of Cogent’s refusal
This is only a downside for an ipv6 network that is single home behind cogent… which is … already absurdly negligent.
I have seen pricing as low as ten US cents on a full 100 GigE port. In other words, $10K. Tier 1 provider for what it’s worth. I think there are Tier 2 providers that can compete with Cogent and Hurricane on price.
I’ve been pretty happy with NTT but their POPs can be limited; I’ve had to pick up waves to them, which sometimes still comes out ahead. I’m slowly dropping Cogent due to the v6 issues. I haven’t been able to try HE because they and a frequent colo provider I use (Switch) don’t seem to get along.
Second for NTT. We have found that their pricing wasn’t to far off from HE. I can count on one hand in 10 years how many times we had issues and needed to contact them.
Yep, unlike 3356 who could care less if you have an outage, NTT never fails to have a ticket opened and email to all the contact points within minutes of a BGP session going down, asking if we need any assistance. I’ve been really happy with their noc on debugging issues, and just proactive contact in general. The peering seems good, as does the pricing.
Cogent honestly hasn’t been bad, but the v6 thing, to Google of all places, just makes their CEO look like a sh*t head; he needs to check his ego and just pay for the peering since Google doesn’t appear to be the one who will blink first. I mean how can you seriously sell a circuit to anyone in a data center and have a caveat that massive, that no other provider has.
In the context of Montreal, to clarify, when you say Zayo are you referring to Zayo Canada (former AT&T Canada/MTS-Allstream), or AS6461, the original Abovenet AS which is Zayo USA’s IP transit network?