A Tier 2 network is an Internet service provider which engages in the practice of peering with other networks, but which also purchases IP transit to reach some portion of the Internet.
Tier 2 providers are the most common Internet service providers, as it is much easier to purchase transit from a Tier 1 network than to peer with them and attempt to become a Tier 1 carrier.
The term Tier 3 is sometimes also used to describe networks who solely purchase IP transit from other networks to reach the Internet.
List of large or important Tier 2 networks Name AS Number August 2021 degreeVisualizing Internet Topology at a Macroscopic Scale April 2005 Reason Hurricane Electric 6939 9243 IPv4: Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299. IPv6: Does not provide IPv6 routing/connectivity to Cogent/AS174. Cogent Communications 174 7041 IPv6: Does not provide IPv6 routing/connectivity to Hurricane Electric/AS6939. Telkom Indonesia International 7713 551 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914, Telecom Italia Sparkle/AS6762, Tata Communications/AS6453, Singtel/AS7473. RETN 9002 1446 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Telecom Italia Sparkle/AS6762. next layer 1764 987 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914, GTT/AS3257, Inter.link/AS5405. meerfarbig 34549 688 Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299, GTT. Korea Telecom 4766 578 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299, Cogent/AS174, Telecom Italia Sparkle/AS6762. Fibrenoire 22652 127 Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299, Cogent/AS174, Tata Communications/AS6453, GTT/AS3257. SK broadband 9318 537 Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299, Cogent/AS174, NTT America/AS2914, Tata Communications/AS6453, PCCW Global/AS3491, Verizon/AS701. TDC 3292 191 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299. Internet Initiative Japan 2497 329 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, Verizon/AS701, NTT America/AS2914. Vodafone (formerly Cable and Wireless) 1273 303 Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299. KDDI 2516 308 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299, Verizon/AS701, GTT/AS3257. PT Ekamas Mora Republik Tbk. (d/h PT Mora Telematika Indonesia Tbk.) 23947 243 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, GTT/AS3257, Hurricane Electric/AS6939. China Telecom 4134/4809 318 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, Verizon/AS701, Lumen/AS3356. China Unicom 4837 310 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, Verizon/AS701, Lumen/AS3356, Orange S.A./AS5511. Chunghwa Telecom 3462 364 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Tata Communications/AS6453, NTT America/AS2914, Arelion/AS1299, Cogent/AS174. British Telecom 5400 151 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914. Comcast 7922 192 Purchases transit from Tata Communications/AS6453, NTT America/AS2914. Tele2 (formerly SWIPNet) 1257 167 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174. KCOM Group 12390 69 Purchases transit from KPN/AS286, Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, NTT America/AS2914. Spirit Communications 2711 82 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914. Stealth Communications 8002 47 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, NTT America/AS2914. Internap 14744 33 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, NTT America/AS2914, Verizon/AS701. FiberRing 38930 35 Purchases transit from NTT America/AS2914, Arelion/AS1299, Tata Communications/AS6453, Cogent/AS174. Core-Backbone GmbH 33891 1311 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299. Fiber Telecom 41327 2145 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, GTT/AS3257, Telecom Italia Sparkle/AS6762, Arelion/AS1299. Singtel 7473 359 Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299, Zayo/AS6461, Tata Communications/AS6453, PCCW Global/AS3491. SG.GS 24482 417 Purchases IP transit from NTT America/AS2914, Cogent/AS174, Tata Communications/AS6453. Turk Telekom International(d/b/a Euroweb.ro) 9121/6663 250 Purchases IP transit from Lumen/AS3356, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier/AS3320, China Telecom/AS4134&AS4809, Inter.link/AS5405. EdgeUno 7195 758 Purchases transit from Lumen/AS3356, Cogent/AS174, Arelion/AS1299, NTT America/AS2914. C Spire 11272 523 Purchases transit from Cogent/AS174, NTT America/AS2914, Zayo/AS6461.FBW Networks494341277Purchases transit from Telecom Italia Sparkle/AS6762, Liberty Global/AS6830, Orange/AS5511.Inter.link54052331 (2026)Purchases transit from Arelion/AS1299, NTT/AS2914, GTT/AS3257.
See also Peering Network access point
References