Editing Ends and Means (section)

====Tier 2 Networks====
In addition to engaging in the access operations described above, Tier 2's have regional reach, and trade or sell bandwidth to other networks. Network to network traffic is classified as either peering or transit.


[[Tier 2 networks]] are large enough that they are able to [[Peering|peer]] with some other networks for mutual benefit, but not so large that they are able to completely avoid paying for bandwidth from a more widely connected network. When networks peer, they agree to exchange traffic without the need for monetary settlement.  When a network purchases bandwidth from another provider, it is said to purchase [[transit]] across that network, or simply to buy transit.


To build a Tier 2 network requires significant capital investment, even in the hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. In addition to being connected to end users and entire access networks, Tier 2 networks often connect to [[Internet Exchange Points]], where Internet Service Providers can openly exchange IP traffic. 


The roughly three thousand networks of this type do the majority of bit moving on the Internet. They are much fewer in number than the Tier 3's, but they are much larger, on average, and have a much greater aggregate capacity.