Middle Eastern Exchange Points

Thu Feb 9 15:39:41 UTC 2006

On 9-Feb-2006, at 02:19, Michael.Dillon at btradianz.com wrote:

> But back to EMIX. Maybe they do not offer any peering today
> but is it true that they actively prohibit any companies
> with routers at EMIX from peering?

There is no "at EMIX". EMIX is an ISP, AS 8966, with network  
connecting various cities in UAE, and to various locations outside  
UAE (e.g. New York). If you are connected to EMIX, you are a transit  
customer of Emirates Telecom.

There is no more ability for two customers of 8966 to bring up a  
peering session with each other via EMIX than there is for two  
customers of 701 to peer with each other. If you can agree that 701  
is not an exchange point, then it should be clear that 8966 is also  
not an exchange point.

EMIX is used for the exchange of traffic between organisations in UAE  
in the following sense: since it is the only way to obtain Internet  
access in UAE, and since it's the common transit provider for  
everybody else, it follows that traffic between any two other  
organisations will flow through AS 8966.

However, EMIX is not an exchange point according to any common use of  
that term today.

> Is it really worthwhile arguing about what names are used
> in a non-Western country where English is not the language
> normally spoken?

I don't hear anybody passing judgement on the marketing departments  
of Emirates Telecom. I just hear continued confusion as to whether or  
not there is an exchange point in UAE (there isn't).

Perhaps that is clear, now.

Joe