Internet2 shapes up, but not exactly shipping out

With its 2.5 gbps speeds, Internet2 (aka the "Abilene" backbone and also known for being the official testbed for version 6 of the Internet Protocol [IPv6]) is gettting stress tested by universities engaged in distance learning and telemedicine and the report card isn't too shabby. Though teachers claim that distance learning still isn't as good as teaching in person, their assessment makes it clear that it's unquestionably the next best thing to being there. But progress is slow and, even though Internet2 is 800 time faster than most cable modems and 4,000 times faster than a dial up connection, don't expect to be getting it any time soon.