When you use a pay-as-you-go Global Accelerator (GA) instance with the pay-by-data-transfer billing method, cross-border traffic over Express Connect circuits generates up to three fee categories: an Internet data transfer fee in the acceleration area, an Internet data transfer fee in the endpoint group area (only when the backend service is outside Alibaba Cloud), and a cross-border data transfer fee. All fees are settled by Cloud Data Transfer (CDT).
This topic covers billing rules for cross-border data transfer over cross-border Express Connect circuits (Leased Line Cross-region Acceleration). For other data transfer types, see Pay-by-data-transfer.
Unit prices in this topic are for reference only. Actual prices on your bills shall prevail. To query bills, see Query bills and usage.
Prerequisites
Before using Express Connect circuits to accelerate traffic between the Chinese mainland and regions outside the Chinese mainland, including China (Hong Kong), China (Macao), and China (Taiwan):
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To use a leased line to accelerate cross-border network connections between the Chinese mainland and other regions, such as Hong Kong (China), Macao (China), or Taiwan (China), your account must have completed enterprise identity verification.
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Make sure your enterprise account has completed real-name registration. For details, see FAQ about real-name registration.
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Make sure the domain name of the accelerated application has an Internet Content Provider (ICP) number. Without an ICP number, cross-border acceleration does not take effect. For details, see ICP filing process.
Billable items
The fees that apply depend on whether the backend service is hosted on Alibaba Cloud. Connected areas are determined by the acceleration area and the endpoint group area in your GA instance configuration.
| Acceleration area | Endpoint group area | Backend service type | Internet data transfer fee (acceleration area) | Internet data transfer fee (endpoint group area) | Cross-border data transfer fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese mainland | Outside the Chinese mainland, including China (Hong Kong), China (Macao), and China (Taiwan) | On Alibaba Cloud | Charged | Not charged | Charged |
| Outside Alibaba Cloud | Charged | Charged | Charged | ||
| Outside the Chinese mainland, including China (Hong Kong), China (Macao), and China (Taiwan) | Chinese mainland | On Alibaba Cloud | Charged | Not charged | — |
| Outside Alibaba Cloud | Charged | Charged | Charged |
Billing rules
Cross-border data transfer uses pay-by-dominant-data-transfer billing: you are charged based on the actual data transferred in the dominant direction (the direction with higher traffic volume), after the data is transmitted. Bills are generated by CDT.
| Data transfer type | Billing rule | Pricing | Billing method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-border data transfer | Charged per region for content delivery accelerated between the Chinese mainland and regions outside the Chinese mainland, including China (Hong Kong), China (Macao), and China (Taiwan) | Gold service level: USD 0.8 per GB | Pay-as-you-go (pay-by-dominant-data-transfer) |
For more information about how CDT calculates cross-border fees, see Billing rules for data transfers and Inter-region data transfer.
Billing examples
The following examples show how to calculate data transfer fees for a GA instance. The key difference between the two scenarios is whether the backend service is hosted on Alibaba Cloud: when the backend is on Alibaba Cloud, traffic between the endpoint group and the backend uses the internal network, so the Internet data transfer fee in the endpoint group area does not apply.
For the complete billing breakdown of a pay-as-you-go GA instance, see Billing of pay-as-you-go GA instances.
Scenario 1: Backend service outside Alibaba Cloud
The acceleration region is China (Shanghai). The endpoint group is in US (Silicon Valley). The endpoint is outside Alibaba Cloud, so requests are forwarded over the Internet. The GA instance transfers 1,000 GB within a month.
Three fees apply:
| Fee item | Unit price | Data transferred | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet data transfer fee — China (Shanghai) | USD 0.118/GB | 1,000 GB | USD 118 |
| Internet data transfer fee — US (Silicon Valley) | USD 0.074/GB | 1,000 GB | USD 74 |
| Cross-border data transfer fee (cross-border Express Connect circuits) | USD 0.8/GB | 1,000 GB | USD 800 |
| Total | USD 992 |
Scenario 2: Backend service on Alibaba Cloud
The acceleration region is China (Shanghai). The endpoint group is in US (Silicon Valley). The endpoint is on Alibaba Cloud, so requests are forwarded over the internal network. The GA instance transfers 1,000 GB within a month.
Because traffic between the endpoint group and the backend uses the internal network, the Internet data transfer fee in US (Silicon Valley) does not apply. Two fees apply:
| Fee item | Unit price | Data transferred | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet data transfer fee — China (Shanghai) | USD 0.118/GB | 1,000 GB | USD 118 |
| Internet data transfer fee — US (Silicon Valley) | — | — | USD 0 |
| Cross-border data transfer fee (cross-border Express Connect circuits) | USD 0.8/GB | 1,000 GB | USD 800 |
| Total | USD 918 |