Group of Four (Australia)

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The Group of Four (also known as Gang of Four or GOF) is a term colloquially used to describe the peering agreements in place between Telstra, Optus, AAPT and Verizon Business (previously MCI).

Despite competitors such as Chime Communications, Comindico, Agile Communications and Primus Telecom Australia having arguably similar if not more traffic volume and network size (in Australia) than two telcos in the group (usually AAPT and MCI), competitors have long been denied the ability to peer with the Group of Four (in fact, almost nothing has changed since the agreements were signed in 1998 under ACCC pressure), and forced to pay per-megabyte costs versus getting a connection for "free".

The value of this "Group of Four" arrangement to Verizon Business is now likely to be minimal, if not negative. The other three "members" are significantly smaller than Verizon Business, and are unlikely to meet Verizon Business's current Asia Pacific peering requirements.

Peering exchanges such as Equinix, PIPE Networks, WAIX and AUSIX claim to be routing a substantial and growing amount of traffic away from the group.

[edit] Notes

  • Verizon Business's agreement came to them when they acquired MCI Communations following the latters' bankruptcy (at various stages the company was previously known as MCI Worldcom, or simply Worldcom). MCI Communications had previously bought the Australian ISP OzEmail as a part of it's UUNET business unit. When OzEmail was acquired by iiNet, the peering agreement stayed with MCI, along with most network equipment.
  • Optus formerly peered at WAIX, as part of a peering agreement inherited from its owners SingTel at acquisition. Optus suddenly disconnected from WAIX in 2003. (Whirlpool story)
  • AAPT does peer at WAIX, but only routes from their Western Australia network are advertised for peering.

[edit] See also