Backbone feud hits Internet services
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Disrupts browsing and email for thousands of users.
7 October 2005 Thousands of users have been left unable to access up to 17% of the Internet following a dispute between two service providers that form part of the Internet backbone.
Up to 17% of the Internet was made inaccessible after the wholesale Internet service providers Level 3 Communications and Cogent Communications Group terminated their agreement to share traffic. Thousands of users also had email services disrupted as a result.
Typically, the operators of the IP infrastructure that underpins the Internet have 'peering' agreements, which allow them to share the burden of traffic.
But officials at Level 3 had become concerned that Cogent was taking advantage of the peering agreement to pass too much traffic over the Level 3 network.
"The relationship with Cogent was nowhere near to equal. They were dumping traffic on our network," Level 3's CEO Kevin O'Hara told The Wall Street Journal.
Level 3 and Cogent have been in dispute about the peering arrangement since July 2005. But Cogent officials are adamant that the quarrel is simply a case of Level 3 trying to raise prices.
Dave Schaeffer, Cogent's CEO told the Reuters news service: "The usability and value people get out of the Internet is highly dependent on its ability to be ubiquitous and affordable, and I think what Level 3 is attempting to do is undermine both of those core principles."
