Internet traffic exchange: 2 billion users and it’s done on a handshake

Every day one exabyte of data is said to travel over the Internet – enough data to fill 300,000 of the world’s biggest hard disks or 212 million DVDs. And astonishingly, according to a new OECD report on Internet traffic exchange, most of the thousands of networks that exchange this traffic do so without a written contract or formal agreement.

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• Internet Traffic Exchange: Market Developments and Policy Challenges (OECD Digital Economy Paper 207)

Internet Traffic Exchange: Market Developments and Policy Challenges (OECD Digital Economy Paper 207)

This report finds that the Internet has developed an efficient market for connectivity based on voluntary contractual agreements. Operating in a highly competitive environment, largely without regulation or central organisation, the Internet model of traffic exchange has produced low prices, promoted efficiency and innovation, and attracted the investment necessary to keep pace with demand.

Related Documents

• Internet traffic exchange: 2 billion users and it’s done on a handshake

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