Internet 2: The Sequel

The Brickyard. Hoosiers. Dan Quayle. If Bill Stephan has his way, "Tech Metropolis" will be Indiana's next claim to fame.

That's because the state's capital, Indianapolis, is the focal point of Stephan's pet project, Internet 2. Supporters say Indianapolis makes a lot of sense as a tech hub because it sits at a key crossroads of regional and national fiber optic networks. Internet 2 taps into those resources by interconnecting computer campuses of universities within a network, known as Abilene, at capacities of 9.6 gigabits per second.

Abilene is a test bed for academics to research and develop new applications, which will likely spill out as commercial services in a few years. In other words, it is exactly what the Internet was a decade ago.

Indiana University oversees the Internet 2 network, which is how Stephan comes into the picture. As an assistant VP of information technology and economic development director for the Indiana Pervasive Computing Research Initiative at IU, Stephan is responsible for enticing private-sector businesses to invest in the network.

Despite a soft economy, it might seem like an easy sell. But investors are driving a hard bargain. Rights of ownership, return on investment and commercial viability are all issues that have come up with the now 180 international partners — one of the biggest being Cisco Systems — that Stephan has helped secure. The tricky part of his job is that the payoff to investors may be years down the road, if at all.

"One of the important lessons learned from the Internet is to make sure there's a clear understanding of who owns what," says Stephan. "I run into, 'When do we get our money back?' "

Currently, the much-publicized Genome research project is riding on Internet 2. Other real-life uses for the high-speed network? Stephan explains that with speeds at 45,000 times faster than a 56-kbps connection, the 17 million volumes in the Library of Congress can be transported across Abilene in 7 minutes. Such speeds will support much faster downloads, transmission and storage of data.

Stephan became involved with Internet 2 two years ago while working for the mayor's office in Indianapolis, trying to increase the diversity of Indiana's economy by boosting a technology presence in the city.

Stephan believes that keeping talent from the area universities in the city before they seek out the coasts is crucial to the city's success. He al-so works with the Indianapolis Regional Economic Development Partnership to make the city a more lucrative draw to companies.

"He is an accelerator," says Michael Lawson, CEO at Indianapolis Regional Economic Development Partnership.

Not a bad adjective for Stephan, who hopes to drive Internet 2 just as fast and furiously as drivers on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway drive their cars.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in The Net Economy.