News for and about the Internet2 community

["Greg Wood" <>]

For Release 6 a.m. EDT
April 28, 1999

MICROSOFT JOINS INTERNET2 COALISTION TO HELP BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF
THE INTERNET

Microsoft Will Contribute Resources and Collaborate With University
Researchers To Enable Revolutionary Internet Technology and Applications

WASHINGTON - April 28, 1999 - At the annual Internet2 member meeting,
Microsoft Corp. today became an Internet2 Corporate Partner and announced
that it will make both financial and intellectual contributions to the
project. As an Internet2 Corporate Partner, Microsoft will work with
researchers at over 150 universities to develop advanced Internet
applications and technologies.

"At Microsoft, we envision people connected to a highly evolved and more
efficient Internet - one that is accessible any time, from anywhere," said
Rick Rashid, vice president of Microsoft Research. "The Internet as we know
it today is constantly pushed to its limits. Even though now we can
participate in videoconferences or exchange audio and video clips with one
another, the quality of the experience is not optimal or compelling enough
to make it commonplace. By working with the Internet2 consortium, Microsoft
is confident that together we can overcome the current technical challenges
by developing the new network technologies that will eventually
revolutionize the Internet experience."

As one of more than 15 Internet2 Corporate Partners, Microsoft will make
contributions exceeding $1 million in goods and services to universities
involved in the Internet2 project. Microsoft® Research and the Microsoft
Product Development groups will collaborate closely with Internet2 members
and through the Internet2 Working Groups to build shared knowledge in
current and emerging areas of common interest, including Quality of Service
(QoS), IP Multicast and IPv6. Accelerating technology development in these
and other areas will enable the global Internet to operate more efficiently
and more reliably.

"We look forward to Microsoft joining the members of the Internet2 project
in working together to enable research and education into the next century,"
said Doug Van Houweling, president and CEO of the University Corporation for
Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), which is leading the Internet2
project. "This relationship not only demonstrates Microsoft's continuing
commitment to R&D, but a willingness to be actively involved with the
Internet2 university community in pursuit of our common goals to advance the
global Internet."

"Microsoft has a tremendous potential to contribute to systems and
networking areas of Internet2," said Ron Johnson, vice president of
computing and communications, University of Washington. "The potential for
delivering robust, real-time tele-immersion, tele-medicine and high-quality
demand video, television, telephony and multimedia, as well as network-aware
and adaptive applications and the 'trust fabric' middleware needed for
pervasive electronic business, is no longer just a dream. But to make it
real across the desktops of the world it's essential to have Microsoft's
research and product development at the table."

To facilitate collaboration with Internet2 universities, Microsoft Research
is establishing high-speed connections to Abilene, an Internet2 backbone
network, and other Internet2 research institutions via the Pacific Northwest
GigaPoP led by the University of Washington in Seattle.

The Internet2 project is being led by over 150 U.S. universities, working
with industry and government, to enable and facilitate the advanced network
applications necessary to meet
 emerging needs in higher education. Internet2 participants are developing
the broadband applications, engineering and network management tools for
research and education. For more information on Internet2, a project of the
University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), see
http://www.internet2.edu/.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products
and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission
of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the
full power of personal computing every day.

########

Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective
owners.

For more information on Microsoft Research:
Visit http://research.microsoft.com/.
For more information, press only:
Greg Wood, Internet2, (703) 625-3917, 

Ben Spotts, Waggener Edstrom, (503) 245-0905, 


Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on
Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information
pages.

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