New York got its first Internet2 Point of Presence (PoP) yesterday with the inauguration of the NyserNet 2000 gigaPoP, which will eventually link Columbia University in New York City with other New York universities. By the end of next year, all universities in the Empire state are expected to be connected to Internet2. The NyserNet 2000 network itself is expected to be complete by the first quarter of 1999 and will also provide an OC-3 (155.5 Mbps) link to universities, from Buffalo down to New York City, as well as providing a link to other institutions participating in the mid-Atlantic crossroads (MAX) gigaPoP. The New York gigaPoP, which was built using ATM technology from Newbridge Networks, enables traffic to be exchanged between universities that terminate at the gigaPoP. The non-profit NyserNet (New York State Education and Research Network) was formed in 1985 and claims to be the world’s first ISP. Around 20 institutions participate in the NyserNet 2000 initiative. The commercial ISP AppliedTheory Communications Inc, which was also involved in this project, spun out of NyserNet in 1996.
