Frequently Asked Questions

Just how fast is Internet2?
What does Internet2 provide beyond the commodity network?
Why did WPI join Internet2?
What is WPI's history with Internet2?
What is the technological scope of Internet2?
What is the offering?
What costs are involved?
Whom can I contact about joining the Goddard gigaPop in Worcester, Mass?

Just how fast is Internet2?

A standard 10Base T Ethernet card, the kind that is in most LAN-connected computers, transfers data at 10 megabits per second. 100Base T Ethernet cards are available that transfer data at 100 megabits per second. Internet 2 Ethernet card transfer rates are in the gigabits.

WPI's August 30, 2000 Press Release cites NEESCom President C. Pini, "Internet2 is about 45,000 times faster than the average modem. To appreciate how fast this is, consider that one could transmit the entire contents of the Library of Congress via Internet2 in just 20 seconds." Pini added, "But speed is only part of the equation. When combined with Internet2's incredibly high resolution and three-dimensional imaging capability, a host of potentially revolutionary applications become possible. Imagine a doctor being able to perform a surgical procedure or watch an MRI take place hundreds, or even thousands of miles from the patient."

WPI's Wire explained the speed of Internet2 in its December 1999 issue,

To download the Titanic with your 28K modem, plan on allowing more than 41 hours.
If you have access to a T-1 connection (1.5 megabits per second) you can retrieve the film in under an hour;
A cable modem (4 megabits per second) will pull it through in less than 20 minutes.
With Internet2, it will take less than a minute.

As the WPI Journal, Winter 1999 issue, stated, "the Internet2 project will give WPI access to a network backbone capable of carrying information 1,000 times faster than today's Net."

What does Internet2 provide beyond the commodity network?

Richer content through higher bandwidth
- Video, audio (Indiana University)
- Virtual Reality (Teleimmersion at U of Illinois at Chicago - Virtual Temporal Bone)
- Dynamic not static
- Larger data transfer in shorter time
More interactivity via minimal delay
Reliable content delivery through quality of service model
Real-time access to remote instruments
Distributed computation over multi-site databases
- Old Dominion University
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Researchk - 3-D brain mapping
- Bandwidth: speed
- Capability to transmit large volumes of data
- Video Conferencing
Research work groups in middleware, applications, networks, more

Why did WPI join Internet2?

to provide WPI with first rate Internet2 access and service
to elevate WPI's national reputation
to stimulate WPI technical research collaboration with Internet2 universities and corporate partners
to create cost effective Internet2 alternative access opportunity for area colleges and research institutions
to stimulate connectivity in Worcester area

What is WPI's history with Internet2?

Part of the funding for the Goddard GigaPop came from a National Science Foundation competitive grant awarded to WPI in 1999. The NSF grant was effective July 1, 1999 with an expiration date estimated at June 30, 3001.

WPI joined Internet2, a national organization and research project in September 1999.

Students and researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have access to some of the most prestigious government, science, health, and university laboratories around the country through the "Goddard GigaPOP, L.L.C.," an aggregation center for high speed data traffic to the national Internet2 project. The Goddard GigaPop is a Worcester-based Internet2 joint venture by WPI and NEES Communications, Inc. (NEESCom), the telecommunications subsidiary of New England Electric Systems, a Westborough Massachusetts-based National Grid USA. NEESCom teamed with telephone companies and Internet service providers to create a high-speed voice and data network that will serve much of southern New England.

NEESCom, which provided the fiber optic network, and WPI, which developed the applications and provided the project electronics, played a leading role in bringing Internet2 to the region by developing one of only two major points of presence, or "POPs," for the project in New England. The Goddard GigaPOP, named for Robert Goddard, the Worcester native and WPI graduate who pioneered the field of rocket science, provides the area's academic institutions, such as WPI, and corporate research and development partners low-cost access to the project.

A gigaPoP is a network interconnection with gigabit capacity that allows regional connections to the high-speed backbond linking other points on the Internet2 network. The term gigabit refers to data transfer rates measured in units of 1000 megabits, or one billion bits per second. NEESCom President Anthony C. Pini explains the speed, "Internet2 is about 45,000 faster than the average modem. To appreciate how fast this is, consider that one could transmit the entire contents of the Library of Congress via Internet2 in just 20 seconds."

WPI completed the installation of Internet2 network in the autumn of 2000. The following companies supported WPI in this project:

What is the technological scope of Internet2?

What is the offering?

OC-3 155 Mbits Abilene connection
T-3 45 Mbit/s Abilene connection
Ability to put "commodity internet" traffic through the above pipes
Eliminate local line charge
Provide wider choice of ISP for commodity traffic
Engineering consulting to design and establish Internet2 connection
Network support services

What are the costs for involvement in Internet2?

For a University or education group - yearly costs given below are approximate and are subject to change.

UCAID Membership	$25k
Internet2 Membership	$20k
Abilene OC-3 subscription	$110k
Qwest OC-3 backhaul	$12k
One-time setup fee	$1k
TOTAL for OC-3 Connect	$167k

In addition, consider local electronics/optics and physical line fees and backhaul from your university or corporation to the Qwest Abilene PoP. Your local infrastructure may also need to be upgraded. Estimates run on the order of $500k/year over 3 years.

OC-12 Abilene subscription and backhaul fees are three times that of OC-3.

Whom can I contact about joining the Goddard gigaPop in Worcester, Mass?

Allan Johannesen, Director of Internetworking and Telecommunications, aej@wpi.edu, 508-831-5434
Tom Lynch, Vice President for Information Technology, tlynch@wpi.edu, 508-831-6075

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Last modified: Feb 28, 2005, 15:42 EST