Internet is internet, right? Not quite. There is a fundamental difference between Managed Internet Access (MIA) — internet as a ready-made service — and BGP/IP transit, where your network takes part in the internet itself. The right choice depends on what you need in terms of control, redundancy and room to grow.
Managed Internet Access: internet as a service
With MIA the provider delivers a working internet connection: the router is configured, the IP addresses come from the provider's space and the routing is the provider's problem. You plug in and it works.
That is exactly right for offices and environments without networking ambitions of their own: no management, no BGP knowledge needed, one bill. The flip side: the IP addresses are not yours (moving means renumbering), you are tied to one provider per connection, and you have no say over the routing.
BGP/IP transit: taking part in the internet yourself
With your own AS number and your own IP space you become a full participant in the internet. Over a BGP session with your transit provider you announce your own prefixes and receive the full table. That brings:
- Your own address space — your IPs move with you, whichever provider you choose;
- Multihoming — multiple providers or locations; if one drops out, BGP automatically routes around it;
- Traffic engineering — with BGP communities and prepends you steer which traffic takes which path;
- Independence — the relationship with your provider becomes replaceable instead of something that dictates your options.
The price of that: you need a router that can handle BGP, and someone who takes the management seriously — in house or through a partner.
Side by side
| Managed Internet Access | BGP/IP transit | |
|---|---|---|
| IP addresses | the provider's | yours |
| Redundancy | per connection | multihoming, automatic failover |
| Routing | the provider decides | you decide |
| Switching provider | renumbering | prefixes move with you |
| Knowledge required | none | BGP management (or a partner) |
| Suits | offices, single sites | hosting, ISPs, business-critical platforms |
What should you choose?
Rule of thumb: if you do not need your own IP space and have no requirements around routing or failover, choose MIA and keep it simple. If you run services that others depend on — hosting, SaaS, critical infrastructure — or never want to renumber again, then your own AS with IP transit is worth the investment.
And there is a growth path: start with MIA, and switch once you are ready. As a RIPE member we handle the LIR side (AS sponsorship, resource applications) and provide transit on our own network, AS211588 — including configuration examples for your first session.