The 3-minute interview: Bijan Jabbari

Jabbari is a professor of computer science at George Mason University and is director of the school’s networking laboratory. He frequently travels to Europe and Japan to work with universities on the advancement of Internet technologies, and is excited about Google’s new high-speed Internet network.
What are you currently working on at George Mason University?
We’ve been working on new frontiers of Internet architecture, specifically infrastructures that can support Internet access at higher speeds and at higher qualities of service.
What are some of the limitations of the Internet connections most Americans use today?
There are limits in terms of traffic routing and in terms of scope. The current infrastructure is scalable to a certain point, but there are limits. We’re working toward a future Internet that is more secure and more robust.
What will that future Internet look like?
Certainly fiber optics will be a part of it. We would like to keep the network open and accessible to everyone, but with greater speed and security of information.
Google has plans to test drive a high-speed fiber optic network in the near future. What are your thoughts on this?
This Google Fiber network is a very important thing. If they can execute it within a reasonable time frame, then this will have a significant impact on the Internet and on our quality of life.
How?
This will propel deployment of high-speed Internet access across a larger community and open up many new opportunities. Look at the number of independent businesses that have been created over the last decade, and think about the applications that are rolling out, and how much business the Internet has created for individuals and small business. Also, this will allow high-definition TV and video for Internet users. Essentially, it allows viewers to move from TV to Internet, or at least gives them the option.
— Markham Heid