History of the next-generation Internet backbone and Internet2

The beginnings of the internet was based on the communications of computers over a network. One of the first major developments of such a network was called ARPAnet. This network was developed by DARPA, or Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. As more networks of this kind were created the need to standardize and make them compatible arose. This is how the internet as we know it began to evolve into what it is today.

In the same way that the internet began in government and University circles, it was realized that these institutions had begun to outgrow the internet. Universities saw the need for a network that would support the data mining, medical imaging, particle physics, and other computer intensive work that was being done. A need for a much higher bandwidth network was evident.

The need for a much higher bandwidth network resulted in the creation of the vBNS, or very-high-performance Backbone Network Service, in 1995. The vBNS was developed by the National Science Foundation, and MCI telecommunications company specifically to meet the needs of the supercomputers at educational institutions. The concept of “the next generation of internet” was born. MCI engineered this backbone for the National Science Foundation, but when their agreement expired the participating institutions wondered where they would continue to get the service that was previously provided by vBNS. When the agreement with MCI expired many institutions decided to join the Internet2 organization.