Use bandwidth packages

To enable communication between network instances in different regions, you can use a bandwidth package to allocate subscription-based fixed bandwidth to inter-region connections. Bandwidth packages are suitable for long-running workloads whose traffic peaks are relatively stable, such as file transfers, data migration, and data synchronization. To use a bandwidth package, purchase the bandwidth package first, and then associate it with the inter-region connection when you create the connection.

Background information

When you purchase a bandwidth package, you must specify the connected areas. CEN classifies bandwidth packages as cross-border or non-cross-border based on the connected areas.

The following table lists the connected areas for each bandwidth package type.

Package type	Connected areas
Cross-border	Chinese mainland and Asia Pacific Chinese mainland and North America Chinese mainland and Europe Chinese mainland and Middle East
Non-cross-border	Chinese mainland and Chinese mainland Asia Pacific and Asia Pacific Asia Pacific and North America Asia Pacific and Europe Asia Pacific and Middle East North America and North America North America and Europe North America and Middle East Europe and Europe Europe and Middle East

An area of a bandwidth package is a collection of regions, and each area contains one or more Alibaba Cloud regions. You can select the connected areas based on the regions that you want to connect. The following table describes the relationship between areas and regions.

Area	Region
Chinese mainland	China (Qingdao), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Hohhot), China (Ulanqab), China (Shenzhen), China (Heyuan), China (Guangzhou), China (Hangzhou), China (Shanghai), and China (Chengdu)
North America	US (Silicon Valley) and US (Virginia)
Asia Pacific	China (Hong Kong), Singapore (Singapore), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Japan (Tokyo), Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila), South Korea (Seoul), and Thailand (Bangkok)
Europe	Germany (Frankfurt) and UK (London)

Billing

Bandwidth packages use monthly subscription billing. You purchase a bandwidth package on a monthly basis and pay before you use it. For more information about the billing rules of bandwidth packages, see Billing.

CEN inter-region bandwidth packages and inter-region connections do not support 95th percentile billing, and raw traffic sampling data cannot be downloaded. The pay-as-you-go billing method currently generates bills on an hourly basis. If you need to monitor traffic or analyze traffic peaks, you can query the hourly traffic usage for each day and sort the results in descending order of usage. Use this as an alternative to obtaining raw traffic sampling data.

Limits

You can associate multiple bandwidth packages with a CEN instance, but you cannot associate more than one bandwidth package with the same connected areas.
For example, if a CEN instance already has a bandwidth package for Chinese mainland connections, you cannot add another for the same areas, but you can add one for Chinese mainland to North America.
A bandwidth package can be associated with only one CEN instance at a time.
After you purchase a bandwidth package, you cannot change its connected areas.
Cross-border bandwidth packages are non-refundable after purchase.

Prerequisites

The cross-border service for cross-border bandwidth packages is provided by China Unicom (Zhejiang). If you want to purchase a cross-border bandwidth package, you must first complete cross-border compliance authentication. You can purchase a cross-border bandwidth package only after China Unicom (Zhejiang) reviews and approves your information. For more information, see Cross-border FAQ.

Purchase a bandwidth package

Log on to the CEN console.
On the CEN Instance page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, choose Basic Settings > Bandwidth Plans, and click Purchase Bandwidth Package (Subscription).

On the purchase page, set the following parameters for the bandwidth package, click Buy Now, and complete the payment.

Parameter	Description
Product Type	Select the product type of the bandwidth package. Intra-border: A bandwidth package for connections where both connected areas are within the Chinese mainland, or both are outside the Chinese mainland. Example: Asia Pacific and North America. Cross-border: A bandwidth package for connections between an area in the Chinese mainland and an area outside the Chinese mainland. Example: Chinese mainland and North America.
Cloud Enterprise Network	Select the CEN instance for the bandwidth package. The system automatically associates the bandwidth package with this instance after purchase.
Area A	Select one of the two areas to connect. Note You cannot change the connected areas after you create the bandwidth package.
Area B	Select the other area to connect.
Metering Method	The billing method. Default: Pay-By-Bandwidth.
Bandwidth	Specify the bandwidth in Mbps.
Bandwidth Plan Name	Enter a name for the bandwidth package.
Subscription Duration	Select a subscription duration. Select Auto-renewal Recommended to enable automatic renewal upon expiration.
Resource Group	Select the resource group for the bandwidth package. Available only for non-cross-border bandwidth packages.

Disassociate a bandwidth package

After you purchase a bandwidth package, the system automatically associates the bandwidth package with the CEN instance. You can disassociate a bandwidth package that you no longer need from the CEN instance. After the bandwidth package is disassociated, you can associate it with another CEN instance.

Before you disassociate a bandwidth package, make sure that you have deleted the inter-region connections that are associated with the bandwidth package. For more information, see Delete an inter-region connection.

Log on to the CEN console.
On the CEN Instance page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, click the Basic Settings > Bandwidth Plans tab. Find the target bandwidth package and click Disassociate in the Actions column.
In the Disassociate from Bandwidth Plan dialog box, confirm the bandwidth package information and click OK.
After the bandwidth package is disassociated, the bandwidth package still incurs charges. Billing stops only after you delete the bandwidth package. For more information, see Delete a bandwidth package.

Associate a bandwidth package

If you have a bandwidth package that has been disassociated, you can associate the bandwidth package with a CEN instance again.

Log on to the CEN console.
On the CEN Instance page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.
On the details page of the CEN instance, click the Basic Settings > Bandwidth Plans tab. Find the target bandwidth package and click Bind in the Actions column.
In the Associate with Bandwidth Plan dialog box, confirm the bandwidth package information and click OK.

Renew or resize bandwidth package

Renew a bandwidth package: Extend the subscription to prevent service disruptions from expiration.
Resize a bandwidth package: Upgrade or downgrade bandwidth to match changed requirements.

Delete a bandwidth package

A bandwidth package is a subscription resource and is automatically released after it expires. For more information about the resource status of an expired bandwidth package, see Status of an expired bandwidth package.
If you need to delete a bandwidth package before it expires, request an unsubscription in the Alibaba Cloud Expenses and Costs console. After you unsubscribe, the system automatically deletes the bandwidth package instance. For more information, see Unsubscription management.

References

CreateCenBandwidthPackage: Purchases a bandwidth package.
ModifyCenBandwidthPackageAttribute: Modifies the name and description of a bandwidth package instance.
AssociateCenBandwidthPackage: Associates a bandwidth package with a CEN instance.
UnassociateCenBandwidthPackage: Disassociates a bandwidth package from a CEN instance.
DescribeCenBandwidthPackages: Queries information about bandwidth packages.
DescribeCenGeographicSpans: Queries information about the connected areas that are supported by bandwidth packages.
DescribeGeographicRegionMembership: Queries information about the regions in a specified area.