Qwest Communications will 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. Under a new 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.
The Abilene Network will continue using nearly 10,000 route-miles of Qwest’s OC-192 network.
The Abilene Network currently connects over three million users, 220 research and education institutions, and 34 state education networks. 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. http://www.qwest.comhttp://www.internet2.edu
