IP: The Abilene research and education network

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

BTW yours truly is on the Network Research Council of I2 djf
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Contact Information: 


Greg Wood 
UCAID 
(202) 872-9119 
gwood () internet2 edu 


Erin McKelvey 
Alexander Communications for Qwest 
(303) 615-5070 x108 
emckelve () alexander-pr com


GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY AND TECHNOLOGY LEADERS DELIVER WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED
IP BACKBONE NETWORK


Network to Enable Leading Edge Collaborative Application, Research and
Development, and Advanced Education Capabilities


WASHINGTON D.C.- April 14, 1998 - Vice President Al Gore today unveiled the
most advanced and far-reaching research and education network in the world.
The Internet Protocol (IP) network, called Abilene, is being developed by
the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID),
through access to the nationwide Qwest fiber optic network and technologies
provided by Cisco Systems and Nortel (Northern Telecom). The Abilene
research and education network will become the most advanced native IP
backbone network available to universities participating in UCAID's
Internet2 project. 


"I applaud the extraordinary commitments of these companies," the Vice
President said. "In the coming years, this investment may enable the best
medical specialists to give advice to patients in rural hospitals,
scientists to use remote supercomputers to predict tornadoes, and adults to
get new skills through distance learning."




"Abilene's advanced networking capabilities will enable researchers and
educators to develop the advanced applications crucial to the mission of
higher education" said Dr. Douglas E. Van Houweling, UCAID's president and
CEO. "Abilene will join with federal efforts already underway to develop
new networking technologies." 


The Abilene network will immensely expand support for the development of
applications such as virtual laboratories, digital libraries,
distance-independent education and tele-immersion, as well as the advanced
networking capabilities that are the focus of the Internet2 project. 


"Qwest is pleased to provide the most advanced IP network in the world to
help universities develop cutting-edge applications that will benefit
academia and corporate America through technological advancement," said
Joseph P. Nacchio, president and CEO at Qwest. "Just as the first public
Internet revolutionized the way the world works and plays, the Abilene
network, powered by Qwest, Cisco and Nortel, will give researchers the
security, reliability and capacity to take technological innovation to a
new plateau." 


With initial operation expected to begin before the end of this year, and
full deployment completed by the end of 1999, the Abilene project will
provide unparalleled networking capabilities to the member universities of
UCAID. The Abilene project plans to interconnect with existing advanced
research and education networks, such as the very high performance Backbone
Network Service (vBNS), and play a role in the federal government's Next
Generation Internet initiative.


The vBNS is a network provided under a cooperative agreement between the
National Science Foundation (NSF) and MCI to NSF-approved institutions of
research and higher learning. Abilene and the vBNS will both serve as
Internet2 backbone networks, consistent with the research and education
community's needs for a diverse advanced networking environment. 


About the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) 
The University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development provides
leadership and direction for advanced networking development within the
U.S. university community. Its activities include the Internet2 project, as
well as other programs devoted to network research, technology transfer,
and collaborative activities in related fields such as distance learning
and educational technology. Internet2 is a collaborative project by over
120 U.S. research universities, in partnership with industry leaders and
U.S. federal agencies, to develop a new family of advanced applications to
meet emerging academic requirements in research, teaching and learning.
Internet2 is addressing this challenge by creating a leading edge network
capability, enabling a new generation of applications, and integrating
these efforts with the current academic Internet services. For more
information, see <http://www.ucaid.edu/>www.ucaid.edu. 


About Qwest 
Qwest Communications International Inc. (NASDAQ: QWST) is a multimedia
communications company building a high-capacity, fiber optic network for
the 21st century. With its cutting-edge technology, Qwest will deliver
high-quality data, video and voice connectivity securely and reliably to
businesses, consumers and other communications service providers. Further
information is available at www.qwest.net. About 


Cisco 


Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking
for the Internet. News and information are available at www.cisco.com. 


About Nortel 
Nortel works with customers in more than 150 countries to design, build and
integrate their communications products and advanced digital networks.
Customers include public and private institutions; Internet service
providers; local, long-distance, cellular mobile and PCS communications
companies; cable television companies; and utilities. For more information,
visit Nortel's web site at <http://www.nortel.com/>www.nortel.com. 


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