tw telecom operates a national OC-192 IP backbone connecting the markets we serve via a packet over SONET (POS) architecture. tw telecom has created six regional IP hub sites where all traffic within a region is directed for access to other regions and peering sites. Diverse, high-speed optical circuits connect the IP POPs and hubs within a given region.
Each regional hub is then connected to other regional hubs via multiple, diverse, high-speed optical circuits. MPLS technology is used to switch high-speed traffic to and from the Internet and across our backbone. This technology provides both quality of service and added traffic-engineering capabilities to our network. BGP4 is also used throughout the network to exchange routing information.
tw telecom has established bi-lateral peering at major exchange locations across the United States. Each region has both private and public peering to ensure access to the Internet.
A quality of service policy is maintained that calls for increases in backbone capacity when any network element reaches 60 percent sustained utilization. The backbone is designed to promote availability, survivability, and diversity in order to provide high quality services to our customers.
Click here for Honolulu metrics.
12 Month Network Statistics for 2008
The following is an explanation of the tw telecom’s IP backbone performance measurements of Latency and Packet Delivery.
Network Latency
Defined by tw telecom as the round-trip delay for a packet to travel between two endpoints (tw telecom designated regional route servers) within tw telecom’s IP network backbone. The average round-trip delay is measured in milliseconds. The average round-trip network delay (“Latency”) is measured on an ongoing basis every 15 minutes to adequately determine consistent monthly average performance levels for packet delay between designated regional route servers.
Network Packet DeliveryDefined by tw telecom as the percentage of packets delivered in a data ping between two endpoints (tw telecom designated regional route servers) within tw telecom’s IP network backbone. Packet delivery is calculated as 100 minus the percentage of packets lost during a transmission (i.e., 100 - % Packet Loss = Packet Delivery.) The average packet delivery is measured on an ongoing basis every 15 minutes to adequately determine a consistent average monthly performance level for packets actually delivered between designated regional route servers.
Jitter is defined as
The round-trip variation in the delay of packets between two points within tw telecom's IP network (IP POPs). Jitter is reported in milliseconds and measured on an ongoing basis every 5 minutes. The performance information stated on this site may not reflect the actual performance experienced by individual customers. Acceptable threshold level: Customer's voice or video service may see performance impairment above this line.
