NAP General Abbreviation

Network Access Point

One of the interchange points for Internet traffic, where various Internet network carriers and major isps exchange data. When Internet traffic origi-nates on one network and goes to another network, it almost always passes through at least one Network accesspoint, or NAP. In the United States, major naps include MAE East, in Vienna, Virginia, and MAE West, in San Jose, California; the Chicago NAP; the Pacific Bell NAP; the Digital Internet Exchange in Palo Alto, California; and the Sprint NAP in Pennsauken, New Jersey.