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Cogent
A Tier 1 internet backbone (AS174) that sells dedicated internet and IP transit at aggressive prices in the office buildings and data centers it has lit. We quote it wherever it is on-net, and we tell you plainly when it is not the right primary circuit.
The short answer
Cogent sells symmetrical Dedicated Internet Access at 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps and 100 Gbps (100 Gbps in data centers), and IP transit on ports up to 400 Gbps, delivered only over fiber. Its on-net footprint is about 3,600 fiber-lit locations: roughly 1,860 large office buildings in the US and Canada and roughly 1,790 carrier-neutral data centers. Cogent publishes a 100% network availability SLA, and its install commitment is 17 business days on-net and 90 business days off-net. It is usually one of the lowest-cost options in a lit building, but its history of peering disputes means we rarely recommend it as a single, sole internet path.
Speeds
DIA 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps; IP transit ports up to 400 Gbps
1 Gbps monthly
Quoted per address
Install interval
17 business days on-net, 90 business days off-net (Cogent's published commitment)
SLA
100% network availability, credits up to one month's charge
Carrier overview
What Cogent offers
Cogent runs one of the largest IP backbones in the world, identified as AS174, and serves more than 300 markets in 58 countries. Its core products are internet products:
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA). A reserved, symmetrical port at 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps or 100 Gbps, electrical or optical, delivered only over fiber. IPv4 and IPv6 are supported. BGP, link aggregation (LAG) and 100 Gbps ports are standard in data centers; in office buildings, Cogent says to check with an account manager.
IP Transit. The same backbone sold to networks: Gigabit Ethernet ports from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps, 10 GE from 500 Mbps to 10 Gbps, 100 GE from 10 to 100 Gbps and 400 GE from 100 to 400 Gbps, with BGP or static routing, native IPv6, multiple BGP sessions per port and a black hole server for DDoS response.
Optical wavelengths. 10G, 100G and 400G waves between carrier-neutral data centers, largely built on the Sprint wireline network Cogent acquired. Cogent reported 1,137 locations where it offers waves as of mid-2026.
Ethernet, MPLS IP-VPN and SD-WAN for connecting sites, Cloud Connect to AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, and colocation in Cogent's own data centers.
Where they are strongest
Cogent is at its best in two places: large multi-tenant office buildings in central business districts, and carrier-neutral data centers. A typical Cogent-lit office building is a Class A or B tower of more than 500,000 square feet. In those buildings Cogent already has fiber in the riser, so a 1 Gbps or 10 Gbps circuit can come in at a price that regional and incumbent carriers struggle to match, and the published on-net install commitment is 17 business days.
In data centers, Cogent is a common choice for IP transit and, increasingly, for 100G and 400G wavelengths. Its wave business has grown quickly since the Sprint network was integrated.
How we quote them
We check every address against Cogent's lit-building and data center list before anything else. If you are on-net, we quote Cogent alongside every other carrier in the building, and it is often the low number. If you are not on-net, Cogent can still deliver over a leased third-party local loop, but the install window stretches to 90 business days and the outage credits shrink considerably, so the price advantage usually disappears.
Before a Cogent quote goes next to anyone else's, we confirm three things:
On-net or off-net. The SLA treats them very differently. An on-net outage earns one day of credit per hour down; an off-net outage earns one hour of credit per hour down.
Routing. BGP and LAG are standard in data centers but need confirmation in office buildings. If you plan to multihome, we get BGP confirmed in writing for your building.
Its role in the design. We like Cogent as one of two internet paths, paired with a carrier that has a different backbone and a different building entrance. We are more cautious about Cogent as your only path, for the reasons in the FAQ below.
Services we quote
Dedicated Internet Access · IP Transit · Optical wavelengths · Ethernet · MPLS IP-VPN · SD-WAN · Cloud Connect · Colocation
Coverage
On-net in 3,600+ commercial buildings and data centers across North America, Europe and Asia
Carrier type
National
Carrier-neutral: we work for you, our client, with no carrier or service provider bias.
Product comparison
Cogent Dedicated Internet Access vs Cogent IP Transit
Dedicated Internet Access | IP Transit | |
|---|---|---|
Who it is for | Offices and single sites that need internet | Networks, hosting and content providers announcing their own routes |
Where delivered | Lit office buildings and data centers | Mainly data centers, cable landing stations and high-traffic sites |
Port speeds | 100 Mbps, 1, 10 and 100 Gbps | 100 Mbps up to 400 Gbps |
Routing | Static by default; BGP in data centers, ask in office buildings | BGP or static, multiple BGP sessions per port |
Outage notification | Proactive notice within 15 minutes is part of the SLA | Not part of the notification commitment |
SLA | 100% availability, same credit schedule | 100% availability, same credit schedule |
The short version: if you have your own IP space and an ASN and you want Cogent's routes, you are buying transit. If you want reliable internet at an office, you are buying DIA. We go deeper, including what Cogent's peering disputes mean for each, in Cogent DIA vs IP transit.
Alternatives
When another carrier fits better
You need one internet circuit and it has to reach everything. A carrier with fewer peering disputes on record, such as Lumen or Zayo, is a safer single path. Cogent works best as one of two.
Your building is not on Cogent's list. Off-net Cogent loses its price edge and its install speed. A carrier already in the building, such as Verizon Business, AT&T Business or a cable carrier like Comcast Business, will usually quote better and install sooner.
Suburban offices, retail and industrial sites. Cogent's lit buildings are concentrated in central business districts. Cable and regional fiber carriers reach far more of the suburban map.
You want managed services bundled with the circuit. Cogent sells a lean product. If you want managed firewall, SASE or voice on the same contract, Lumen or Uniti Solutions (the former Windstream Enterprise) are usually a better fit.
You need a diverse second path into the same building. Cogent often shares risers and conduit with other carriers. See Your backup circuit is probably on the same fiber path before you assume two carriers means two paths.
Contract notes
What the Cogent SLA actually says
Cogent publishes a global SLA that forms part of its customer subscriber agreement. These are the clauses we walk clients through:
Install commitment. 17 business days for on-net DIA, Ethernet, MPLS and colocation; 90 business days off-net; 30 business days for waves (may not apply at some locations). The clock starts when Cogent validates the order, not when you sign. A miss earns one month of credit, but only if you paid installation charges. If installation was waived, there is no credit for a late install.
Availability credits, on-net. An outage longer than 15 consecutive minutes earns one day of credit (1/30 of the monthly charge) for each cumulative hour down, prorated after the first hour, capped at one month's charge.
Availability credits, off-net and waves. One hour of credit per hour down. That is a much smaller remedy for the same outage.
Cable cuts are excluded. The SLA lists cable cuts under force majeure, so they do not count as network unavailability. This is one reason we always want a diverse second path.
Outage notification. For DIA, Cogent pings your router every minute and commits to notify you within 15 minutes of deciding the service is down. A miss earns one day of credit.
LAG bundles count as one service. If you bond several ports with LAG, you earn credit only when every port in the bundle is down.
Performance targets are backbone to backbone. Latency (45 ms round trip within North America), jitter (1 ms) and packet delivery (99.9%) are measured between Cogent backbone hubs, not to your premises.
Claim window is short. You must request credits within seven business days after the end of the month, and a support ticket must already have been opened for the event. Credits apply to future invoices, never as refunds.
Maintenance window. Scheduled maintenance runs midnight to 6 a.m. local time with at least two business days' email notice, and does not count as downtime.
Term, renewal and early termination terms live in your order form and customer subscriber agreement, not the SLA. Read those before you sign: see Read this before you auto-renew a 36-month term.
Learn the lingo
Frequently asked questions
Is Cogent a Tier 1 internet provider?
Yes. Cogent operates AS174, a global backbone that reaches other large networks largely through settlement-free peering rather than buying transit. That is a large part of why its bandwidth is inexpensive. It is also why its occasional peering disputes matter: when Cogent and another large network stop exchanging traffic directly, there may be no paid path around the gap.
What are Cogent's peering disputes, and should I worry?
Cogent has had public disputes with several large networks over the years, including Level 3 in 2005, Sprint in 2008, Telia in 2008, and NTT and Tata in 2024. Its IPv6 dispute with Hurricane Electric has run since 2009. Most were resolved, some within weeks. For a single office on Cogent alone, a dispute can mean some destinations are slow or unreachable until it is settled. Pairing Cogent with a second carrier removes most of that risk.
How much does Cogent dedicated internet cost?
Cogent does not publish DIA pricing, and the address decides it. On-net in a Cogent-lit building it is usually one of the lowest quotes we see at 1 Gbps and above. Off-net, the price advantage often disappears. Send us the address and we will quote it next to every other carrier in the building.
How fast does Cogent install?
Cogent's published commitment is 17 business days for on-net DIA and 90 business days for off-net, measured from the date it validates your order. Building access, landlord approvals and order changes can push it out, and Cogent's credit for a late install does not apply if installation fees were waived.
What is the difference between Cogent DIA and IP transit?
DIA is internet for a site, usually with static routing and a small block of Cogent IP addresses. IP transit is for networks that have their own IP space and an autonomous system number and run BGP, usually in a data center, at ports up to 400 Gbps. Both use the same backbone and the same SLA.
Does Cogent support IPv6?
Yes, natively and as dual stack on both DIA and IP transit. The caveat is reachability: because of Cogent's long-running dispute with Hurricane Electric, IPv6 paths between the two networks have historically been limited. If IPv6 matters to you, test reachability to the destinations you care about, or buy from two carriers.
Can Cogent be my only internet provider?
It can, and many offices run on it. We generally recommend against making Cogent your only path for anything business-critical, because the SLA excludes cable cuts and peering disputes are outside what credits can fix. As one of two diverse circuits, it is often excellent value.
Is my building on Cogent's network?
Cogent publishes its lit buildings and data centers on its service locations map. Its office buildings are mostly large towers in central business districts in the US and Canada. Send us the address and we will check it, along with every other carrier that is lit there.
Sources
Cogent Dedicated Internet Access product page (port speeds, lit locations, options)
Cogent IP Transit product page (port sizes, routing, data center counts)
Cogent SLA summary page (100% availability, 99.9% packet delivery, network size)
Cogent fiber-lit buildings page (US and Canada, typical building profile)
Wikipedia, Cogent Communications (peering dispute history, AS174)