Fergie's Tech Blog

Internet2 and National LambdaRail Not Merging Any Time Soon

Nate Anderson writes on ARS Technica:

Why won't the nation's two main operators of high-speed academic networks get together? According to Polley Ann McClure, a VP for Information Technologies at Cornell, the problem isn't a technical one. McClure advised both Internet2 and National LambdaRail as they held discussions about merging, but the talks now appear scuttled, something McClure attributes to personalities and poor management.

Many large academic institutions in the US belong to a private, high-speed network. Both the Internet2 consortium (which just celebrated its 10th anniversary) and National LambdaRail (which Internet2 helped to start) provide access to such networks, which are generally used for scientific and medical applications, along with network research. Internet2 has leased its network from Qwest (though this is currently changing), while NLR controlled its own fiber. Dealing with two separate groups required more work for administrators and researchers, though, so there was relief when Internet2 and NLR announced that they were in merger talks.

Those talks stalled earlier this year over unspecified "governance issues," according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Now the talking has broken off completely.

posted by Fergie @ 12/13/2006 06:16:00 PM