Transcript SERENATE

Outcomes
and follow-up
David Williams, CERN
SERENATE Final Workshop, Bad Nauheim
16 June 2003
Some overall impressions (1/2)
• Interesting but still lots to do
• We have consensus on the general directions, but…..
– policy concerning commodity traffic (volunteer to write-up??)
– it’s probably too early to come with a strong recommendation on the
community moving to “control” its own fibre infrastructure – my personal
guess is that that’s what we will do eventually
• Structural funds
– Accession Countries are in the process of defining what they wish to use
the Structural Funds to invest in.
– We had better help them to insist that some of this is spent on R&E
network connectivity!
• Aplogies E2E, AAA, ….
David Williams, Final Workshop
Some overall impressions (2/2)
• Strong personal opinion – will see strong growth in data volumes
– not just grids – PCs connected via GE will be able to source
and sink lots of data
• Costs (DD slide )
David Williams, Final Workshop
Key first next step
• Write a good SERENATE Report
– Concise
– Clear
– Recommendations that can be acted on
• And especially a good Executive Summary
– Since many people will only read that
David Williams, Final Workshop
My major concern
• That we need to continually “re-sell” the visions
– that well-supported networking in the Research and Education
communities is a very efficient way to improve the competitivity of our
national economies in the Information Age.
– and that it is not in conflict/competition with eEurope
• Any volunteer for writing this up?
• I doubt if you can “prove” the validity of the vision
• Anything close to that is a major job
David Williams, Final Workshop
SIX (SEVEN)
STRATEGIC QUESTIONS
David Williams, Final Workshop
The questions
1. What action, if any, do the NRENs need to take concerning the move from
electrical transmission to optical transmission and fibres?
2. What can be recommended concerning Campus Networks
3. What, if anything, should be done about Europe’s Digital Divide?
4. Does R&E networking have any political role to play in Europe’s relations
with the developing world?
5. Should NRENs become more inclusive towards other user communities?
6. What action, if any, should be taken by the R&E community as IT and
network technologies assume an ever more important role in the whole
process of delivering R&E?
7. What future for the NRENs?
• Any other really strategic question?? Are people happy with
the order??
David Williams, Final Workshop
LIKELY RECOMMENDATIONS
I have been hearing general consensus about
what’s in the 4 yellow pages - SNOFHYP
Some specific comments follow
David Williams, Final Workshop
For politicians (MEPs, MPs)
• The NREN model has been a success story for Europe and is still the best
approach for the next ~5 years
• EU/EC should continue to play the federative role which it has assumed over
the past 10 years in enabling the interconnection of Europe’s NRENs.
• How strong a recommendation can we make (now) about pan-European fibre
infrastructure “controlled” by the NRENs?
• A political discussion is needed concerning what we want to do about the
Digital Divide inside Europe, and what we mean by “Europe” in that context
• A political discussion is needed on the strategy to be adopted concerning the
relation between European networking and the developing world. Or is this
overkill, and we should “muddle along” as we have been doing?
David Williams, Final Workshop
For the EC
• The EC should continue to play the federative role which it has
assumed over the past 10 years in enabling the interconnection of
Europe’s NRENs.
• The EC should assume responsibility for measuring the depth of
Europe’s internal Digital Divide and for monitoring progress in
reducing it.
• It should trigger a political discussion concerning what we mean by
“Europe” in this context
• It should trigger a political discussion on the strategy to be adopted
concerning the relation between European networking and the
developing world
David Williams, Final Workshop
For governments
• Keep supporting your NREN!
• In the ongoing presence of excessively high prices for
transmission, the national, regional or local governments
concerned should take action to stimulate open access (and hence
competitive) ducting and fibre supply
• Careful attention is needed to the integration of regional
networks into the chain NREN-regional-campus
– Risk of complicating NREN’s technical evolution
– Risk of becoming last stronghold of ex-monopolists
David Williams, Final Workshop
For multiple actors, including regulators
• A basic fibre census – where, how many fibres, what type, how many lit? –
could be very useful and should be made public
• It would be desirable to regulate access conditions to installed fibre – not just
the local loop [obviously following discussions with all parties]
• Guidance (at least open discussion) on the share of the investment that the first
few purchasers/leasers should cover would be very valuable
– I discussed with KES that we should write up the data that show that “on average”
European fibre lease prices assume 10 users per cable
• Make more publicity for an old NL approach to fibre trenching? [Anyone can
join a physical installation of ducting – and share the cost]
David Williams, Final Workshop
For the NRENs
•
•
•
Careful attention is needed to the integration of regional networks into the chain
NREN-regional-campus
Need to decide on policy with respect to new EU regulations (public/private network)
Investigate heterogeneous networks
– Participate in grid projects to better understand their needs
– Experiment with segregation of specialised high-speed traffic onto switched paths
•
•
•
•
When there are signs that prices in the (national) transmission market are excessive
then experiment with DIY transmission. If the market situation does not evolve then
move to production DIY solutions.
It could be useful for a few NRENs (say 2-3) and DANTE to explore the extent to
which a highly reliable and high-performance long-distance path can be created by
joining shorter segments of national fibres. Can that sort of approach be put out to
tender?
If there is a political mandate to engage with the developing countries, obvious tasks
are to help build up their NREN expertise, to help build regional groupings of NRENs,
and to help such groupings to connect to GEANT
Simulating traffic flows
David Williams, Final Workshop
For universities
and other research centres
• Campus networks need attention and serious ongoing investment of resources,
including personnel.
• Out-of-scope. Universities need well-developed and sufficiently funded IT
policies.
David Williams, Final Workshop
For multiple academic actors,
including the NRENs
• Coordination for AAA
• Coordination of the whole IT “approach” across (sub-)disciplines
David Williams, Final Workshop
For operators
• Recognise that the NRENs have no particular desire to build and
operate their own transmission systems.
• But that they are acquiring a reasonable understanding of the
costs involved.
• So take account more of the possibilities of DIY solutions based
on optics, and use those as check-points when setting pricing?
• Remember that NRENs are potentially interested in various small
and large collaborative projects, which have the potential to bring
major mutual benefits
David Williams, Final Workshop
FOLLOW-UP
David Williams, Final Workshop
Key first next step
• Write a good SERENATE Report
– Concise
– Clear
– Recommendations that can be acted on
• And especially a good Executive Summary
– Since many people will only read that
• Timing of reports
David Williams, Final Workshop
Contacts with politicians
• “We” go to talk to “them” about the Report - Europe
– MEPs
– EC
– ENPG
• “You” go to talk to “them” about the Report - Nationally
– MPs
– Governments & Ministries
David Williams, Final Workshop