Faster Web in the Works

CU360
September 12, 2007 | COMMENTS

Several big technical advances for business are on the horizon courtesy of Internet2—a super-fast, high-capacity update of today's public Internet.

With connections up to 10,000 times as fast as the average home hook-up, the next Internet version will "make the regular ol' web seem like a typewriter," reports Kiplingerforecasts.com.

Advances emerging from research on Internet2's invitation-only network will "revolutionize" the Internet and its applications for every industry. Super-fast connections spell the ability to reduce the time it takes to download huge data files from hours to a few minutes, end choppy streaming video, and provide better sound quality.

What Is Internet2?

Today's Internet has become unwieldy and problematic. It's ripe for revision or replacement, according to Computerworld magazine. Security issues, spam, slow downloads, and the exploding need for URLs are only some of its problems. The Internet is sometimes seen as a victim of its own success, and several initiatives are under way to develop the Internet of the future.

Internet2 is one of those initiatives, and it has a longer history than most of the others. It's now a consortium made up of more than 200 U.S. universities, 70 private companies, and 40 other organizations, including U.S. government laboratories—all connected to similar initiatives around the world.

Internet2 has four primary areas of interest and development, according to its website:

1. High-performance networks with higher bandwidth.
2. Advanced network applications to improve collaboration among people and to provide interactive access to information and resources.
3. New network capabilities, such as improved quality of service, multicasting, and Internet Protocol Version 6, that will improve throughput and management of network traffic.
4. Middleware.

The consortium claims that 2007 will be a pivotal time because the new network with 100 Gbps capacity and dedicated circuit services will be nearing full implementation, middleware-based capabilities will be reaching critical mass, and other developments will help make the Internet more secure and reliable, providing a huge spur to e-commerce.

It might take several years before the new applications are commonplace, depending in part on how quickly bandwidth is expanded. Equipment upgrades to handle faster connections will also be needed.

But the lead time might be useful for many companies, giving them time to plan for major disruptions in the status quo. "It'll be disruptive for some," says Gary Bachula, Internet2 vice president for external relations. "Businesses will have to think ahead of how to adapt."

Consider the Possibilities . . .

Videoconferencing. Think high-definition TV—clear, smooth videoconferences without delays or synchronization blips. Scores of companies will be quick to jump on the bandwagon, saving a lot of time and big bucks on travel. The new technology will also be a boon for distance learning.

Online avatars. Get ready for avatars—online personalities of real people—to conduct business by means of the Internet. They'll become commonplace, particularly as coming generations of Internet-savvy college graduates enter the workplace. "A lot of them take comfort and are more efficient operating online than in the real world," says Janna Anderson, a researcher for the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Key business leaders such as Samuel Palmisano, CEO and chairman of IBM, are already using avatars to do business in the online digital world known as Second Life. "And even if today's planners find such systems weird or laughable, today's 20-year-olds, who will be running the world in a generation, will happily grab the controls," according to Business Week Online.

Telecubicles. Resembling "holodecks" popularized by the Star Trek TV show, these are already in place at several research labs. The 3-D wraparound virtual interfaces bring several users from far-flung locations into the same room via the Internet, creating an in-person meeting atmosphere.

And these examples just scratch the surface, according to Kiplinger.

Currently, weather scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use the Internet2 network to obtain high-resolution radar images more quickly, which is important when trying to predict extreme weather or tornado paths. Rather than travel to remote sites, researchers can instantly download the information.

And college students at more than 200 participating universities use Internet2 to access external databases through trusted user programs or "trust communities." The technology, called Shibboleth, provides a secure framework for enabling access to an unlimited number of online resource providers while preserving the user's privacy.