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Cloud Enterprise Network:Use bandwidth plans

Last Updated:Jan 08, 2026

Bandwidth plans enable inter-region connections between network instances by allocating a fixed amount of subscription-based bandwidth. Bandwidth plans are ideal for long-running services with stable peak traffic, such as data migration, file transfers, and data synchronization. To use a bandwidth plan, purchase one and associate it when creating an inter-region connection.

Background

When purchasing a bandwidth plan, you must specify the connected areas. An area is a collection of Alibaba Cloud regions. You can select the connected area for your bandwidth plan based on the regions you need to connect. This table maps areas to their corresponding 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), China (Nanjing - Local Region), China (Fuzhou - Local Region), 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 plans are subscription-based service that is billed monthly. For more information, see Billing rules.

Limitations

  • You can associate multiple bandwidth plans with a CEN instance. However, the pair of connected areas of each bandwidth plan must be unique.

    For example, if a CEN instance is associated with a bandwidth plan whose pair of connected areas is Chinese mainland and Chinese mainland, you cannot associate another bandwidth plan that has the same connected areas. However, you can associate a bandwidth plan that connects the Chinese mainland with North America.

  • A bandwidth plan can be associated with only one CEN instance at a time.

  • You cannot modify the connected areas of a bandwidth plan after purchase.

Prerequisites

To purchase a bandwidth plan that involves regions in the Chinese mainland using an Alibaba Cloud international site account, you must complete enterprise identity verification for your account. For more information, see identity verification.

Bandwidth plans that involve regions in the Chinese mainland include the following:

  • Bandwidth plans whose pair of connected areas is the Chinese mainland and the Chinese mainland

  • Bandwidth plans that connect the Chinese mainland with an area outside the Chinese mainland

Purchase a bandwidth plan

  1. Log on to the CEN console.

  2. On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.

  3. On the instance details page, select Basic Information > Bandwidth Plans, and click Purchase Bandwidth Plan.

  4. On the purchase page, set the parameters for the bandwidth plan. Then, click Buy Now and complete the payment.

    Parameter

    Description

    CEN ID

    Select the CEN instance for which you want to purchase a bandwidth plan.

    A bandwidth plan is automatically associated with this CEN instance after purchase.

    Area A

    Select the area of the network instance to be connected.

    Note

    You cannot change the selected area after the bandwidth plan is created.

    Area C

    Select the area where the other network instance is located.

    Billing Method

    The billing method. The default value is Pay-By-Bandwidth.

    Bandwidth

    Select a bandwidth value. Unit: Mbps.

    Bandwidth Package Name

    Enter a name for the bandwidth plan.

    Order time

    Select a subscription duration for the bandwidth plan.

    Select Auto-renewal to enable auto-renewal.

Disassociate a bandwidth plan

When you purchase a bandwidth plan, it is automatically associated with a CEN instance. You can disassociate a bandwidth plan from a CEN instance and associate it with another CEN instance.

Before disassociation, make sure you have deleted all associated inter-region connections. For more information, see Delete an inter-region connection.

  1. Log on to the CEN console.

  2. On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.

  3. On the details page of the CEN instance, click the Basic Information > Bandwidth Plans tab. Find the target bandwidth plan and click Disassociate in the Actions column.

  4. In the Disassociate from Bandwidth Plan dialog box, confirm the information and click OK.

    A disassociated bandwidth plan remains active and continues to incur charges. To stop billing, you must delete the bandwidth plan. For more information, see Delete a bandwidth plan.

Associate a bandwidth plan

If you have a disassociated bandwidth plan, you can associate it with a CEN instance.

  1. Log on to the CEN console.

  2. On the Instances page, click the ID of the CEN instance that you want to manage.

  3. On the instance details page, click the Basic Information > Bandwidth Plans tab. Find the target bandwidth plan and click Associate in the Actions column.

  4. In the Associate with Bandwidth Plan dialog box, confirm the information and click OK.

Renew or resize a bandwidth plan

  • Renew a bandwidth plan: Extend the validity period of a bandwidth plan to prevent service interruptions from expiration.

  • Modify a bandwidth plan: Upgrade or downgrade the specifications of a bandwidth plan if it no longer meets or if it exceeds your business requirements.

Delete a bandwidth plan

  • Bandwidth plans are subscription resources and are automatically deleted upon expiration. For more information, see Status of an expired bandwidth plan.

  • To delete a bandwidth plan before it expires, submit a ticket to unsubscribe. The bandwidth plan is deleted automatically after you unsubscribe.

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