Transcript Sarua-Fibre
Sarua-Fibre project Challenges involved in the establishment of an academic broadband backbone in Southern and East Africa Supported by IDRC Björn Pehrson <[email protected]> KTH, Stockholm A modest requirement • Universities are key to all communities wanting to keep up with the development towards the global knowledge society • African universities need the same network connectivity as their peers on other continents to fulfill their tasks – Education, Research, Community Service • All agree? Sarua-Fibre Objectives • Broadband Internet access for universities in Southern and East Africa based on optical fibre • A parallel track to coordinated VSAT procurement addressed in other projects • Both are needed in a foreseeable future • Even a sparse fibre infrastructure will bring VSAT islands back to Africa from all other continents Goals 2008 • Gbps links rather than Kbps • National Research and Education Networks • Regional Backbone Why NRENs? • VSAT connections are vertical, fiber connections are horizontal • Save costs sharing the access network • Share resources like caching servers, supercomputers, a national grid • Pool human and financial resources • Increase your lobbying power Why a regional Backbone • Consortial procurement of Internet access for all NRENs • Transborder academic peering in Africa • Global academic peering via Géant, Internet2, Eumednet, TEIN, ALICE,... It turns out there is fibre not everywhere and not always possible to use • • • • • Policy and regulations in the way Or lack of business models Or market pricing, even higher than VSAT Fibre-database sponsored by IDRC More fibre is being rolled out as we speak, in power grid extension programmes, along railways and pipelines, etc. Telecommunications Infrastructures of EDM Optical Fiber – Geographic location • The fiber is installed in the Southern part of the country • New lines must include a fiber by “default” • There is a proposal for a fiber on Mozambique – Malawi interconnection Tanzania Facilitator#1 is political will Talk to politicians in terms of deliverables • Cf Rwanda – National fibre infrastructure – Internet Exchange – All schools being wired • Other early birds: .mz, .mw, .zm, .tz........ • Open to others to join when they are ready The messages • Universities can contribute to a dynamic development of society, in all sectors, if – They get broadband – Soon also access dark fibre to build highperformance, non-commercial private networks for research and education • Universities, as public organisations benefitting all parts of society, should get access to public goods, such as infrastructure (ducts, fibre) Facilitator#2 is the regulatory framework Work with the regulators to clarify and push the limits • Universities should be allowed to build and operate non-commercial private networks with domestic and transborder traffic. • Publicly owned fiber infrastructure should be licensed or leased, similar to radio spectrum, but unlimited. Status: Existing NRENs • South Africa: – SANREN (planned) – TENET (procurement consortium) • Kenya KENET – Holds a license for international traffic • Tanzania: TENET – Tanesco, Tazara, TRC, Songas, TTCL NRENs in progress have/will get licenses, negotiate dark fibre • Mocambique: MoRENet – Maputo - Inhambane – Beira - NampulaQuelimane - Pemba (TDM, EDM) • Malawi – Blantyre-Lilongwe,Mzuzu, Zomba (ESCOM, MTL) • Zambia – UNZA, Lusaka - CBU, Kitwe. (ZESCO, CEC) • Rwanda – NUR, Butare – KIST, Kigali • Uganda Blantyre campuses Status: Regional Backbone • Available routes – SAT3 – SAFE – Terrestrial • SA-Namibia-Zambia-Tanzania-> • DRC-Zambia-Zimbabwe – EASSy, including access networks • Internet access/global peering in the Red Sea • Managed by a regional organization (DANTA?) 2008 is the year when it all comes together, if not before Universities can support the establishment of sustainable broadband markets • Academia can host neutral, non-commercial, pre-competitive pilots • Public sector can provide critical mass and take infrastructure investments – Traffic from • Public administration • Education • Healthcare provides 20-40% of all traffic in developed markets and the proportion is even more in developing markets • Then, private sector and civil society will add to the sustainability of business models