In your white paper "UK Academic Network Architecture" (p27 of 42) at http://www.ja.net/documents/net_arch.html I find the following: 11.2 Commercial Sector The commercial sector has to date shown very little interest in the provision of a pervasive educational network on a national basis. This was a clear outcome from the market test in 1996 and is thought by most to still be the case even though the market has changed considerably with many new Internet Service Providers. The Deloitte Touche value for money study, commissioned by the JISC and delivered in October 1996 made a very clear statement that the benefits arising from JANET heavily outweigh the costs. Some of the Deloitte Touche assumptions now seem a little exaggerated, but there is general acceptance in the community that JANET is good value for money, a view frequently voiced by those in other educational sectors who have attempted to buy similar services on the open market. Most people involved in UK Academic Networking believe that the provision and co-ordination of national service by a not for profit organisation is the right approach. Might I ask what is at the following URL, if not a concrete proposal indicating significant interest from a commercial organisation? I wonder, if UKERNA did not stand to gain quite so much by ruling out collaborating with commercial organisations in meeting UK academic and research community networking requirements, would you perhaps have made reference to it? http://www.edex.net.uk/whitepaper/nen.htm The board of INSnet has a considerable history of service to the UK academic and research networking community through past association with the University of Kent in Canterbury and UKnet (subsequently EUnet GB). Martin Cooper Speaking for myself...