Sprint-Cogent dispute puts small rip in fabric of Internet

Sprint-Nextel has decided to sever its Internet connection with Cogent, another ISP. As a result, it is no longer possible for many Sprint customers and Cogent customers to directly communicate across the Internet. The two ISPs are currently engaged in litigation over their exchange of Internet traffic, so-called peering. In shutting down the peering between the two, Sprint violated a contractual obligation to exchange Internet traffic with Cogent on a settlement-free peering basis.The dispute is unlikely to have an effect on the Internet as a whole, according to Kurt Erik Lindqvist, CEO at Netnod, which handles peering between carriers in Sweden. In the short term, Sprint and Cogent costumers are stuck in middle, but in the end Lindqvist thinks they will be forced to work out their differences.