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Peering Points and the Network Application Interface

According to Gibb (2019), “Peering is a method that allows two networks to connect and exchange traffic directly without having to pay a third party to carry traffic across the Internet.” Utilizing a peering point allows users to send a receive data directly to one another without the need to route through other computer networks. Doing so allows for a quicker, more efficient, and safer form of communication. 

Researching the total number of active Internet Exchange Points (IXP) proved difficult as it was hard to pinpoint an accurate number. However, according to Rosas (2021), “as of January 2021, of the 630 registered IXPs, 229 are in Europe, 126 in North America, 140 in Asia-Pacific, 96 in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and 39 in Africa.” These numbers are constantly changing as new IXPs are added, and some are removed. 

Finding a definitive number of Internet Service Providers (ISP) globally was also difficult to accomplish. Most sources seem to point to the Nations Encyclopedia (link below) which shows that there are over 12,000 ISPs globally with over 7,000 of those residing in the United States alone. Many of the ISPs within the US are small, regional companies who provide service for a small coverage area. 

Attached is my diagram of a standard Network Application Interface. The diagram shows how data travels from the ISP, all the way down to the host and application. The diagram also illustrates how the applications communicate with each other between the network and additional hosts. 


References: 
Gibb, R. (2019, June 20). What is Peering? Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://blog.stackpath.com/peering/ 

Rosas, I. (2021, July 9). Four New IXPs Take Off in Central America and the Caribbean. Internet Society. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2021/06/four-new-ixps-take-off-in-central-america-and-the-caribbean/ 

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