The Internet of tomorrow

Northwestern University last week teamed with IBM, Ameritech and Cisco Systems to introduce its International Center for Advanced Internet Research-a "real-world laboratory" where researchers are developing prototypes for 21st century Internet applications. Housed at Northwestern's Evanston, Ill., campus, the $10 million iCAIR will serve as a global hub in development of the next generation of the Internet.

Research conducted at the center will allow both local and international customers "to better use the Internet and make their businesses more efficient and profitable," said Gordon Reichard Jr., president of Ameritech Advanced Data Systems. "With its resources, iCAIR can facilitate research and product development for companies in ways that could never be accomplished in the private sector."

Research at iCAIR currently is focused on collaborative engineering, telemedicine and full-screen and interactive distance learning, among other things. Projects will concentrate on technologies that affect telecom, health care, education, government, manufacturing, electronic commerce, financial services and entertainment.

The center will also act as a "global connection point" for Star Tap, a multiparty videoconferencing network. Eventually, the network will link 15 countries, allowing collaboration among world scientists, said Steven Goldstein, program director of Interagency and International Networking for the National Science Foundation.

The center will also have a hand in revolutionizing telecommunications and broadcasting, with the introduction of 3-D phone calls and television programs readily available for viewing on the Internet at a customer's leisure, said Joel Mambretti, director of iCAIR.

Applications will be used over private high-speed research networks until public bandwidth becomes more readily available and network performance improves.

"It'll happen very rapidly," Mambretti said, adding that the quality of service will be controlled by differentiating services-an ability that will be possible with the next generation of Internet.

"The Internet of 10 years from now will not be anything like the Internet we know today," said Stephen Wolff, executive director of Cisco Systems' Advanced Internet Initiatives Division.