From Correspondent Ann Kellan

Broadcast quality images on your desktop, thanks to Internet 2 RELATED VIDEO CNN's Ann Kellan demonstrates some of the capabilities of Internet2 Windows Media 28K 80K

February 24, 1999
Web posted at: 10:37 p.m. EST (0337 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Watching a movie off the Internet, or having a telephone conversation that seems like a face-to-face meeting, remain potential technological promises that are, as of yet, unfulfilled.

But a brand new Internet network, dubbed Internet 2, may bring Net denizens closer to those pipe dreams.

Abiline, one of the many networks that will make up Internet 2, is up and running, connecting 150 universities and research centers with high-speed fiber optic cable. It is 45,000 times as fast as the average modem, which means it could transmit the entire Library of Congress in just 20 seconds.

However, Internet 2 is, as of now, off-limits to the general public. Those developing the project say they need to reserve and retain the network's capacity in order to complete their research.

But eventually, the new technologies developed on Internet 2 are expected to trickle down for use by the general public.

With corporate and government backing, networks around the world will soon link up with Internet 2, sharing research and turning knowledge into commercial products.

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