A federation is a group of computing or network providers agreeing upon standards of operation in a collective fashion.
Another, more visible, example is Email, where the common use of the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), allows alice@gmail.com to communicate with bob@example.edu and eve@hotmail.com although the software implementing each of these systems can be completely different.
The term may be used when describing the inter-operation of two distinct, formerly disconnected, telecommunications networks that may have different internal structures.
[2] The term may also be used when groups attempt to delegate collective authority of development to prevent fragmentation.
In a telecommunication interconnection, the internal modi operandi of the different systems are irrelevant to the existence of a federation.