Most larger operators have dedicated routers for peering, where peering means exchanging routes with a router they don’t own, for a variety of reasons. Having a local device at a specific location, security, cheaper due to reduced feature sets, separation of functions for things like software qualification, different management teams, etc. However, if you are talking service provider those routers often have customers or other services on them because they happen to be there at the same facility a customer is located. If a port is sitting free and you have enough of them, might as well connect a customer to it. Phil From: Mike Hammett via NANOG <nanog@lists.nanog.org> Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 7:41 PM To: North American Network Operators Group <nanog@lists.nanog.org> Cc: Mike Hammett <nanog@ics-il.net> Subject: "Peering Router" Not that we have expected everyone we talked to would join our IX, but the answer that some gave puzzled me. There have been a few variations of "We don't have a peering router in that market." All routers peer, so what does that mean to you? How do people use that term? ----- Mike Hammett Intelligent Computing Solutions http://www.ics-il.com Midwest-IX http://www.midwest-ix.com _______________________________________________ NANOG mailing list https://lists.nanog.org/archives/list/nanog@lists.nanog.org/message/RZNU5QMB...