Editing Packet switching (section)

===Internet era===
{{Internet}}
When [[Internet]] connectivity was made available to anyone who could pay for an [[Internet service provider]] subscription, the distinctions between national networks blurred. The user no longer saw network identifiers such as the DNIC. Some older technologies such as [[circuit switching]] have resurfaced with new names such as [[fast packet switching]]. Researchers have created some experimental networks to complement the existing Internet.<ref name="Mike C. Smith">{{cite web | url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/964249/what-is-dedicated-internet-access.html | title=What is Dedicated Internet Access? | date=7 September 2017 | access-date=21 December 2018 | author=Mike C. Smith | archive-date=21 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221184051/https://www.networkworld.com/article/3221478/internet/what-is-dedicated-internet-access.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

====CSNET====
The [[Computer Science Network]] (CSNET) was a computer network funded by the NSF that began operation in 1981. Its purpose was to extend networking benefits for [[computer science]] departments at academic and research institutions that could not be directly connected to [[ARPANET]] due to funding or authorization limitations. It played a significant role in spreading awareness of, and access to, national networking and was a major milestone on the path to the development of the global [[Internet]].<ref name="nsf">{{Cite web |title= The Internet—From Modest Beginnings |work= NSF website |url= https://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf0050/internet/modest.htm |access-date= September 30, 2011 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110828125922/https://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf0050/internet/modest.htm |archive-date= August 28, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title= History and overview of CSNET |author= Douglas Comer |journal= Communications |date= October 1983 |volume= 26 |number= 10 |doi= 10.1145/358413.358423 |pages=747–753|s2cid= 11943330 |author-link= Douglas Comer |doi-access= free }}</ref>

====Internet2====
[[Internet2]] is a not-for-profit United States [[computer network]]ing [[consortium]] led by members from the research and education communities, industry, and government.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://internet2.edu/about|title=About Internet2|access-date=2009-06-26}}</ref> The Internet2 community, in partnership with [[Qwest]], built the first Internet2 Network, called [[Abilene Network|Abilene]], in 1998 and was a prime investor in the [[National LambdaRail]] (NLR) project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.com.com/Optical%20networking%20The%20next%20generation/2100-1033-5403589.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703 |title=Optical networking: The next generation |first=Marguerite |last=Reardon |website=CNET |date=October 11, 2004 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710234213/http://news.com.com/Optical%20networking%20The%20next%20generation/2100-1033-5403589.html?part=dht&tag=ntop&tag=nl.e703 |archive-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2006, Internet2 announced a partnership with [[Level 3 Communications]] to launch a brand new nationwide network, boosting its capacity from 10 to {{nowrap|100 Gbit/s}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-10-11-faster-internet2_N.htm|title=Speedy Internet2 gets 10x boost|first=Anick|last=Jesdanun|newspaper=USA Today|date=October 11, 2007|access-date=26 June 2009}}</ref> In October, 2007, Internet2 officially retired Abilene and now refers to its new, higher capacity network as the Internet2 Network.

====NSFNET====
[[File:NSFNET-traffic-visualization-1991.jpg|thumb|right|NSFNET Traffic 1991, NSFNET backbone nodes are shown at the top, regional networks below, traffic volume is depicted from purple (zero bytes) to white (100 billion bytes), visualization by [[National Center for Supercomputing Applications|NCSA]] using traffic data provided by the [[Merit Network]].]]

The [[National Science Foundation Network]] (NSFNET) was a program of coordinated, evolving projects sponsored by the NSF beginning in 1985 to promote advanced research and education networking in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsfnet-legacy.org/|title=NSFNET: The Partnership That Changed The World|date=November 2007}}</ref> NSFNET was also the name given to several nationwide backbone networks, operating at speeds of {{nowrap|56 kbit/s}}, {{nowrap|1.5 Mbit/s}} (T1), and {{nowrap|45 Mbit/s}} (T3), that were constructed to support NSF's networking initiatives from 1985 to 1995. Initially created to link researchers to the nation's NSF-funded supercomputing centers, through further public funding and private industry partnerships it developed into a major part of the [[Internet backbone]].

====NSFNET regional networks====
In addition to the five NSF supercomputer centers, NSFNET provided connectivity to eleven regional networks and through these networks to many smaller regional and campus networks in the United States. The NSFNET regional networks were:<ref name=ConneXions-April1996>{{cite web|url=http://www.merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php|title=Retiring the NSFNET Backbone Service: Chronicling the End of an Era|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817124939/http://merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php|archive-date=2013-08-17|first1=Susan R.|last1=Harris|first2=Elise|last2=Gerich|website=ConneXions|volume=10|issue=4|date=April 1996}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsfnet-legacy.org/archives/06--Community.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.nsfnet-legacy.org/archives/06--Community.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live|title=NSFNET: The Community|first=Doug|last=Gale|website=NSFNET: The Partnership That Changed The World|date=29 November 2007}}</ref>
*BARRNet, the Bay Area Regional Research Network in [[Palo Alto, California]];
*[[CERFnet]], California Education and Research Federation Network in [[San Diego, California]], serving California and Nevada;
*CICNet, the [[Committee on Institutional Cooperation]] Network via the Merit Network in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]] and later as part of the T3 upgrade via [[Argonne National Laboratory]] outside of [[Chicago]], serving the [[Big Ten]] Universities and the [[University of Chicago]] in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin;
*[[Merit Network|Merit/MichNet]] in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan]] serving Michigan, formed in 1966,<ref name="Merit1998PartOne">{{cite web|last=Aupperle|first=Eric M.|year=1998|title=Merit–Who, What, and Why, Part One: The Early Years, 1964-1983|url=http://www.merit.edu/about/history/pdf/MeritHistory.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423042006/http://merit.edu/about/history/pdf/MeritHistory.pdf|archive-date=2013-04-23|website=Merit Network, Inc., in Library Hi Tech|volume=16|issue=1}}</ref> still in operation {{as of|2023|lc=on}};<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merit.edu/network/internet/ |title=Merit Internet |access-date=2023-06-05}}</ref>
*[[MIDnet]] in [[Lincoln, Nebraska]] serving Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota;
*[[NEARNET]], the New England Academic and Research Network in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], added as part of the upgrade to T3, serving Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, established in late 1988, operated by [[BBN Technologies|BBN]] under contract to MIT, BBN assumed responsibility for NEARNET on 1 July 1993;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1993/bbn-0714.html|title=BBN to operate NEARnet|website=MIT News|date=14 July 1993}}</ref>
*NorthWestNet in [[Seattle, Washington]], serving Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington, founded in 1987;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40/40-ps.ps|title=About NorthWestNet|website=NorthWestNet User Services Internet Resource Guide, NorthWestNet Academic Computing Consortium, Inc.|date=24 March 1992|access-date=3 July 2012}}</ref>
*[[NYSERNet]], New York State Education and Research Network in [[Ithaca, New York]];
*JVNCNet, the John von Neumann National Supercomputer Center Network in [[Princeton, New Jersey]], serving Delaware and New Jersey;
*SESQUINET, the Sesquicentennial Network in [[Houston, Texas]], founded during the 150th anniversary of the State of [[Texas]];
*[[SURAnet]], the Southeastern Universities Research Association network in [[College Park, Maryland]] and later as part of the T3 upgrade in [[Atlanta, Georgia]] serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, sold to [[BBN Technologies|BBN]] in 1994; and
*Westnet in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and [[Boulder, Colorado]], serving Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

====National LambdaRail====
The [[National LambdaRail]] (NRL) was launched in September 2003. It is a 12,000-mile high-speed national computer network owned and operated by the US research and education community that runs over fiber-optic lines. It was the first transcontinental [[10 Gigabit Ethernet]] network. It operates with an aggregate capacity of up to {{nowrap|1.6 Tbit/s}} and a {{nowrap|40 Gbit/s}} bitrate.<ref>{{Cite news |title= National LambdaRail Opens for Business |author= Michael Feldman |work= HPCwire |date= October 28, 2008 |url= http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2008-10-28/national_lambdarail_opens_for_business.html |access-date= June 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nlr.net/about.php|title=About NLR|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130904020736/http://www.nlr.net/about.php |archive-date=2013-09-04|website=National LambdaRail|date=3 September 2013}}</ref> NLR ceased operations in March 2014.

==== TransPAC2, and TransPAC3====
[[TransPAC2]]  is a high-speed international Internet service connecting research and education networks in the Asia-Pacific region to those in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2005-04-08/international_transpac2_inaugurated-1.html|title=International TransPAC2 Inaugurated|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130620034322/http://www.hpcwire.com/hpcwire/2005-04-08/international_transpac2_inaugurated-1.html |archive-date=20 June 2013}}, ''HPC Wire'', 8 April 2005.</ref> TransPAC3 is part of the NSF's International Research Network Connections (IRNC) program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irnclinks.net/#transpac3|title=TransPAC3 - Asia-US High Performance International Networking|work=International Research Network Connections Program (IRNC), U.S. National Science Foundation, October 2011.|access-date=3 September 2013|archive-date=14 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814194934/http://irnclinks.net/#transpac3|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====Very high-speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS)====
The [[Very high-speed Backbone Network Service]] (vBNS) came on line in April 1995 as part of a NSF sponsored project to provide high-speed interconnection between NSF-sponsored [[supercomputing]] centers and select access points in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://w2.eff.org/Infrastructure/Govt_docs/nsf_nren.rfp|title=NSF Solicitation 93-52-Network Access Point Manager, Routing Arbiter, Regional Network Providers, and Very High Speed Backbone Network Services Provider for NSFNET and the NREN(SM) Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030153/https://w2.eff.org/Infrastructure/Govt_docs/nsf_nren.rfp|archive-date=2016-03-05|date=May 6, 1993}}</ref> The network was engineered and operated by [[MCI Telecommunications]] under a cooperative agreement with the NSF. By 1998, the vBNS had grown to connect more than 100 universities and research and engineering institutions via 12 national points of presence with [[DS-3]] ({{nowrap|45 Mbit/s}}), [[OC-3c]] ({{nowrap|155 Mbit/s}}), and [[OC-12]] ({{nowrap|622 Mbit/s}}) links on an all OC-12 backbone, a substantial engineering feat for that time. The vBNS installed one of the first ever production [[OC-48]] ({{nowrap|2.5 Gbit/s}}) IP links in February 1999 and went on to upgrade the entire backbone to OC-48.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/694354 |title=vBNS: not your father's Internet |first1=John |last1=Jamison |first2=Randy |last2=Nicklas |first3=Greg |last3=Miller |first4=Kevin |last4=Thompson |first5=Rick |last5=Wilder |first6=Laura |last6=Cunningham |first7=Chuck |last7=Song |journal=IEEE Spectrum |volume=35 |issue=7 |date=July 1998 |pages=38–46 |doi=10.1109/6.694354|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In June 1999 MCI WorldCom introduced vBNS+ which allowed attachments to the vBNS network by organizations that were not approved by or receiving support from NSF.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/news/pr-5449-en-MCI+WorldCom+Introduces+Next+Generation+vBNS%2B+For+All+Higher+Education+And+Research+Organizations.xml|title=MCI WorldCom Introduces Next Generation vBNS+ For All Higher Education And Research Organizations|website=Verizon Business News|date=June 23, 1999}}</ref> After the expiration of the NSF agreement, the vBNS largely transitioned to providing service to the government. Most universities and research centers migrated to the Internet2 educational backbone. In January 2006, when [[MCI Inc.|MCI]] and [[Verizon]] merged,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/news/pr-18593-en-Verizon+and+MCI+Close+Merger,+Creating+a+Stronger+Competitor+for+Advanced+Communications+Services.xml|title=Verizon and MCI Close Merger, Creating a Stronger Competitor for Advanced Communications Services|website=Verizon Business News|date=January 6, 2006}}</ref> vBNS+ became a service of [[Verizon Business]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.verizonbusiness.com/solutions/government/federal/contracts/fts2001_bridge/rg_products/vbns/|title=vBNS+|website=Verizon Business}}</ref>