AlterNet IP Networking for the rest of us Projects in high-speed computer internetworking, such as the ARPANET (sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and NSFNET (sponsored by the National Science Foundation) have shown that benefits such as increased productivity, coopera- tion, and cost savings result from the increased interaction and collaboration made possible by researchers using the largely Federally funded Internet. The objective of AlterNet is to make these benefits available to the community at large. Because much of the cost of running the Internet is subsi- dized by government grants, Internet use is restricted to organi- zations doing government sponsored or approved research and development. AlterNet receives no government funding, so can al- low commercial use of its network. A typical customer could use AlterNet to connect its engineering facility in California to its European sales office in Amsterdam, NL. A 56 kbps connection between these two sites would cost under $3,500 per month. This is the all-inclusive price and there are no hidden charges such as packets or kilocharacters. For comparison, running IP over an X.25 Public Data Network connection would cost $4,000 per month for only 9.6 kbps (1/6 the speed), plus there would be an addi- tional charge for each kilosegment sent. For even medium volumes, this is prohibitively expensive. A similar AlterNet 56 kbps connection only between Mountain View, CA, and Boston, MA, would cost under $2,500 per month. For small to medium sized corporations who want their own corporate network but cannot afford the costs of installing their own dedicated lines, AlterNet can frequently provide a cost ef- fective alternative. AlterNet's cost savings are achieved through shared usage of the basic infrastructure. For all but the most demanding applications, this sharing provides equivalent performance at significantly reduced costs. 56 kbps AlterNet service is priced at $1,000 per month plus the telephone company's charge for connection to the nearest US Sprint Point of Presence (POP). 9.6 kbps service is offered as inexpensively as $250 per month (in limited areas). AlterNet is not limited to commercial organizations and is available to any interested organizations, including educational institutions and non-profit corporations. For those organiza- tions who meet the appropriate use qualifications and who have the proper government authorizations, Internet access can be pro- vided at no extra charge. UUNET offers full service. E.g., we will maintain name servers for you (if you wish). Support is currently offered 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The network consists of a backbone of cisco routers connect- ed via lines ranging from 512 kbps to 1.536 mbps in speed. To connect at 56 kbps or faster, a dedicated router must be placed at your location. Slower speeds may not require this hardware. AlterNet charges consist of one time costs and recurring costs. There are two one-time costs. You must provide the equipment necessary for your end (we can sell you all the equip- ment, you can buy it yourself or you can lease it from us). There is a one-time startup fee to UUNET to recover some of the costs of the backbone equipment. Lastly, there is the recurring monthly usage charge. You are also responsible for the local line costs from your facility to your nearest AlterNet connection point. AlterNet Cost Summary Line Speed T1 T1-LV 56k 19.2k 9.6k 9.6k SLIP Monthly Recurring Charges AlterNet $2,000 $1,000 $1,000 $ 750 $ 500 $ 250 Local Loop (Typical) $ 750 $ 750 $ 500 $ 130 $ 130 $ 130 One Time Costs Initial Hardware $7,000 $7,000 $4,500 $6,000 $3,550 $ 549 Startup Charge $5,000 $5,000 $2,000 $3,000 $1,500 $1,500 or instead of the One Time Costs Monthly Lease $1,000 $1,000 $500 $ 500 $ 500 $ 250 9.6k SLIP connectivity uses the Serial Line IP protocol to provide a low cost IP connection using a computer that supports SLIP (e.g. Sun, Pyramid, DEC). The only additional hardware re- quired is a V.32 modem. SLIP access may be either via a leased line or dedicated dialup modem. T1-LV (Low Volume) is a special rate to encourage those sites who only need the capacity of a 56 kbps line to connect at T1. This gives them benefits such as lower latency at only slightly higher cost. Sites requiring higher bandwidth than used by 56 kbps sites will be required to pay the higher T1 rate. Initial Hardware costs cover the equipment you need to pro- vide at your site. These are typically cisco routers and the ap- propriate modems or DSU/CSUs. Startup charges cover the hardware necessary for your connection at the AlterNet facility. The hardware purchased for the AlterNet facility remains UUNET's pro- perty. For those companies who prefer to spread out the initial costs, we can provide all necessary equipment for both ends of the connection for the listed Monthly Lease fee. AlterNet Charges are monthly fees payable to UUNET for net- work management and other services. Local Loop Charge is the cost of a typical link from your facility to the nearest AlterNet hub. This charge may differ considerably from our examples. Contact us or your local phone company for a more reliable price. Listed speeds are for the connection to the AlterNet hub and do not represent guarantees of end-to-end bandwidth. 56 Kbps is offered in all areas in the continental USA where 56 Kbps Digital Data Service is provided by US Sprint. This is approximately 300 sites in the US including all major metropoli- tan areas. Other speeds are available at backbone locations which currently include Falls Church, VA (Washington, DC metro area); Mountain View, CA; Portland, OR; Boston, MA; Amsterdam, The Neth- erlands; and Dortmund, West Germany. Other locations are being added and other cooperative agreements with international net- working providers are in progress. (European access is provided by EUnet through a cooperative agreement with UUNET Technolo- gies.) UUNET Technologies, Inc. 3110 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 570 Falls Church, VA 22042 +1 703 876 5050 (voice) +1 703 876 5059 (fax) info@uunet.uu.net AlterNet is a service mark of UUNET Communications Services, Inc. UUNET is a service mark of UUNET Communications Services, Inc. 910307