Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  What is NetworkVirginia?

NetworkVirginia is an advanced, broadband network delivering Internet and ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) service statewide. It is the result of a project led by Virginia Tech in association with Old Dominion University and the Virginia Community College System to develop universal access to advanced digital communications services for all of Virginia.

With nearly a thousand sites, NWV offers access to an incredibly rich array of educational and information resources. Participants include four-year colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, private schools, and K-12 school systems. Also, many state agencies are taking advantage of NetworkVirginia including the Department of Health, the Virginia Employment Commission, the Department of General Services, the Virginia State Library, the State Police, the Institute of Marine Science and others.  Now the NWV infrastructure is available to all including businesses throughout the state.  NWV provides access for more than 1.3 million Virginians through educational institutions alone.

The network has very high capacity and can deliver simultaneous transmission of fully interactive voice, data, and video services. An Internet gateway is included which is open to all participants. A single connection to NetworkVirginia can be used to support different types of multimedia connections simultaneously. The bandwidth can be flexibly allocated and reallocated as needed. ATM services have built-in, quality of service controls allowing users to prioritize resources and tailor capacity utilization to match application requirements. Virtually any type of application or communication service can be transported across NetworkVirginia.

Gateways currently deployed to the Internet,  to the Department of Energy's ESnet network, and to the Internet2 Abilene network extend the reach of this powerful information resource beyond the bounds of the Commonwealth.

Q:  Who can participate?

Participation is now open to all Virginians including businesses.

Q:  What are the benefits?

1. Universal access with level prices statewide.
2. Provides platform to enable new opportunities for teaching and learning.
3. Capability to support interactive, multimedia applications.
4. Range of access options with very high capacity available.
5. Capability to support very high performance computing applications with guaranteed quality of service objectives.
6. Scales to match increasing demands.
7. Highly economical.
8. Inherent Internet access.
9. Founded upon public network services:
1. Lever for economic development
2. Promotes competition
3. Ubiquitous availability of advanced digital services to serve all sectors
10. Places Virginia firmly ahead for evolution to the Next Generation Internet.

Q:  Who is already participating?

Today there are over 600 hundred participating sites including virtually every public college and university, several private institutions, many K-12 schools, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, and several research institutions.  Also, municipalities and state agencies including the Department of General Services, the state police, the Department of Health, the Employment Commission, and others are connected.

Q: Who Are The Service Providers?

The Vision Alliance, a consortium of local exchange companies in Virginia led by Verizon/Bell Atlantic-Virginia, provides local access and intraLATA switching services. Verizon/Bell Atlantic-Virginia is the prime contractor for these services and coordinates all network management and order processing within the consortium.

An interLATA backbone is provided by Sprint. Three ATM switches strategically located around the state provide interconnection points for Vision Alliance switches.  Sprint is also providing two Internet backbone gateways with combined capacity nearly equal to a gigabit per second to SprintLink, Sprint's Internet service.  This Internet service is open to all participants.

Q:  What is the cost to connect?

The table below displays the up-front and recurring basic cost to connect to NetworkVirginia.  These prices do not include customer premises equipment.  Verizon/Bell Atlantic offers an optional service which includes installation and maintenance of everything required for a full service, turn-key connection.  For more information refer to the Full Service User Network Interface service description in Verizon/Bell Atlantic Modification Number One to the contract.

* Costs shown are based on prices for representative services applicable to educational sites and state agencies.  Other services are available and different prices may apply.

Q:  What are the ordering site's responsibilities?

Each ordering party must take care to read and understand the Sprint and Verizon/Bell Atlantic-Virginia service agreements which govern the service.  Each site or organization will order services independently and will be billed directly by Sprint and Verizon/Bell Atlantic.

Q:  What is the service order process?

1. Download the Sprint Service Agreement, the Verizon/Bell Atlantic Service Agreement.  Make sure you have read and understand the agreements prior to filling out the order form.
2. Follow ordering process, How to Order Service.
3. If you download the order form, fax copies of the completed form to Sprint, Verizon/Bell Atlantic, and Virginia Tech.  If you submit your order via the web, fax copies of the signed Confirmation Page to Sprint, Verizon/Bell Atlantic, and Virginia Tech.

Q:  How does NetworkVirginia benefit the private sector?

NetworkVirginia is a public network service based on negotiated contracts with communications companies doing business in Virginia.  We have essentially created a market for ATM network technology everywhere in the state making it feasible for the contractors to deploy this highly advanced infrastructure ubiquitously.  Since there has been no state subsidy and our contracts are not prohibitive, contractors are free to make this technology available at competitive prices to everyone in the Commonwealth.  Private companies are already benefitting from access to this infrastructure.  This public/private hybrid approach sets NetworkVirginia apart nationally as a model for very rapid technology transfer from research to production environments.  Other states are eager to replicate this model.

The private sector also gains by having access to the educational programs which are proliferating across the NetworkVirginia infrastructure.  The NWV contracts explicity permit private companies to connect at the negotiated price if the purpose is to receive programs from an eligible institution.   This creates the opportunity for high quality, high customized educational opportunities to meet the demands of corporate clients and students in a new information age.  As we move forward, these opportunities will be extended all the way into the homes of Virginia's citizens.

Finally, NetworkVirginia creates many opportunities for entrepreneurship among individuals and companies seeking to offer value added services to NetworkVirginia participants.    The possibilities on this front are practically limitless.

Q:  What role is NetworkVirginia playing with respect to Internet2 and the Next Generation Internet?

Virginia Tech is a charter member in the Internet2 initiative and has been very active in the development of related projects.  NetworkVirginia incorporates a classical, Type II gigaPOP architecture as described in the Internet2 (I2) Preliminary Engineering Report.  It provides a regional interconnection point  for members of I2, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) vBNS network, the Department of Energy’s (DoE) ESnet network, and other network initiatives. Refer to http://www.internet2.edu/html/gigapops.html for a general discussion of the gigaPOP concept.

Virginia Tech and NetworkVirginia continue to play a leading role in the evolution of Internet2, the Next Generation Internet and related regional initiatives.  For more information refer to our gigaPOP Status Report.

Q:  Who can I contact for more information?