Prototyping Next Generation Communications
The Internet2 SIP.edu initiative, which began in March 2003, promotes the convergence of email and voice identities, the rapid growth of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) accessibility, and the widespread deployment of enterprise SIP servers to provide learning platforms for schools and research institutions looking to experiment with new enterprise SIP services. By December 2004, nine college campuses and research institutions—Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Columbia University, the University of Hawai’i, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Colorado State University, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology—had adopted next generation SIP-based solutions for their everyday communications needs as part of Internet2’s SIP.edu program. As a result, over 140,000 individuals could receive voice over IP (VoIP) calls at their university email address.
Multi Service Communications Engineer
Harvard University
By engaging the Internet2 community’s users in an exploration of new communications models, the SIP.edu program encourages advanced communications applications that integrate voice, video, and instant messaging through presence services and open standards. With its simple implementation and standards-based platform, SIP.edu allowed participants to test a variety of SIP capabilities before investing in a full-scale system. Internet2 Corporate Partner Cisco Systems and corporate member Avaya have partnered with several schools to implement the SIP.edu architecture, each making generous grants of equipment and designating senior VoIP engineers to work closely with campus engineers to enable SIP.edu in each unique campus environment.
The SIP.edu initiative embodies Internet2's mission to promote the rapid transfer of new capabilities into the commercial sector by providing a large-scale testbed for next generation network-based services.