Qwest Extends Agreement with Internet2

HostReview.com
Monday, November 22, 2004; 04:24 PM

Qwest Communications International Inc. (www.qwest.com) today announced an agreement to continue providing optical and SONET network services to Internet2, a university-led research and development consortium that includes more than 300 U.S. universities, research institutions, corporations, and government agencies working together to create and deploy next-generation Internet technologies.

"Thanks to this extended agreement, the Abilene Network will continue to provide the advanced capabilities, performance, and bandwidth that our members have come to rely upon as we work together to test, build and deploy the next generation of Internet technology," said Douglas Van Houweling, president and chief executive officer of Internet2.

In this latest agreement, Qwest will continue as the backbone transport provider for the Abilene Network - Internet2's advanced transcontinental backbone - through September 2007.

The new agreement builds on an original agreement executed in April 1998 and subsequently extended for five years in October 2001.

Under the extension, the Abilene Network will continue using nearly 10,000 route-miles of Qwest's 10-Gigabit-per-second optical network, providing Internet2 members with advanced, reliable connectivity for ongoing collaboration and innovation.

The Abilene Network, which currently connects over three million users, 220 research and education institutions, and 34 state education networks, operates at a speed15,000 times faster than the average household broadband connection and with a capacity to send 9.7 million five-paragraph e-mails in one second.

Abilene supports advanced native services, such as IP multicast and IPv6 and provides a transparent view of network performance through the Abilene Observatory measurement collaboration.