With 1 click of your mouse you can read a website, watch a webinar or sit in an online meeting. But behind that one click is a web of internet connections and data cables. They connect you to systems on the internet, anywhere in the world. And send the bits and bytes to and from your computer at different speeds and connections. The digital highway over which this happens has 3 access roads and is made up of different routes. How does that work exactly? And does your internet provider use the fastest route?
Companies are increasingly dependent on services on the Internet.
Connectivity has become increasingly important for everyone. We want to store files in the cloud, work remotely, meet online and open and edit documents at different locations. This means that companies are increasingly using their internet connection. And almost every program has a cloud version, which means that people are working on the internet more often. A fast and stable internet connection is therefore very nice. The speed is determined by 2 factors: your bandwidth and the route your internet traffic takes. In this article we will discuss the latter.
These access roads are there.
The Internet looks the same from the plug of your PC or router. But there are different internet providers, in English internet service provider (ISP), who make their own internet. There are generally 3 ways in which your internet provider can connect your company to the outside world via the internet: via a direct connection to the content or cloud provider, internet exchange and transit. We explain to you how they work:
- Direct connection to the content or cloud provider.
The best option is a direct connection to the content or cloud provider you work with. This is also called private peering. For example, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Your network is then directly connected to the servers of those cloud providers. This minimizes the chance of data loss or delay between your users and your applications and the servers at all those large parties. - Internet exchange.
A direct connection with all parties in the entire world is not possible. So a second way to connect with the outside world is with an internet exchange. This is an organization that offers members, or customers in the case of a commercial exchange, a network platform on which the connected parties can exchange IP traffic directly with each other. A kind of junction of digital highways. The Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX) for example, one of the largest players in the world. That is why many national and international parties connect here. In this way they can easily and quickly connect with a large part of the world. The larger the exchange, the more bandwidth and the more direct traffic. - Transit
For parties that are not on an internet exchange, there is transit. The least optimal connection, but one that is necessary to reach the entire internet. With an internet exchange, 2 parties are linked 1 on 1, for example the network of that of another internet provider on the AMS-IX. But with transit, a complicated network of 65,000 parties is used that exchange traffic with each other, in order to complete their offer. Here, the mutual strategic and financial interests play a much greater role. The routings are difficult to control. And that is why these routes are almost always slower and therefore less reliable. In general, larger transit parties offer a better bandwidth and shorter routes.
Each internet provider chooses its own path.
Internet providers try to offer the shortest routes. Here too, other interests can play a role. The choice of an exchange or transit partner can be determined by business interests. And this can lower the quality of the internet. The differences can be noticed, for example, in the event of external disruptions, such as on the internet or at the content or cloud provider. The larger the exchange, the less a provider is dependent on the transit party. The larger the transit party, the better the quality. The best result is of course achieved by connecting the largest exchange and several of the largest transit parties.
The fastest access route.
We are independent and internet via the fastest access route is our priority. That ensures quality and continuity. We try to make as many direct connections as possible with content and cloud providers, such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon. And we have a unique bandwidth on the largest internet exchange: the Amsterdam Internet Exchange. For transit we have long-term partnerships with the 3 largest transit parties in the world, supplemented by local smaller parties. In this way we reduce the number of intermediate steps, which leads to better performance. And the nice thing is that in this way we keep energy consumption to a minimum. Very sustainable. All this ensures that we come out on top in the Umlaut Fixed Broadband Benchmark 2023/2024 – The Netherlands test.
This is how you get the highest internet speed.
Of course you want the fastest internet connection for your company. Tip: before you sign up for internet with a provider, check which access routes the traffic is using. That way you know what internet speed you can count on. And read more about downloading with fiber optic . Gives you 4 extra working days per year.
Great 👌 content. Keep it up.
Thank you 😊😊😊.