Transcript Document
Update on NREN
developments in South
Africa
Progress and Challenges in Building National
Research and Education Networks In Africa:
A View from the Field
Philadelphia, 18 September 2005
Duncan Martin
CEO of TENET
Thank you to…
Internet2
for organizing this special meeting in
collaboration with IDRC, Network Start-Up
Resource Center, Partnership for Higher
Education in Africa
For inviting me to participate
Carnegie Corporation of New York
for the grant to Internet2 that covered the
costs of my coming here
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
2
What’s meant by:
“Research and Education
Networking”?
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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In the developed world:
ensuring that advanced networking traffic
is not disabled by congestion from
commodity-type traffic
developing next-generation networking
and applications in research and higher
education.
(Extracted from Internet2’s standard MoU with
international partners)
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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In Africa, south of the Sahara:
securing affordable Internet access for
universities and research institutions
special “holy cow” deals
relaxed VSAT license conditions
enabling participation in collaborative
international research projects.
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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The TENET network
Inter-connects 100 sites of 40 institutions
165 Mb/s aggregate connection b/w
105 Mb/s dedicated Internet connection
via SAT-3 submarine cable
tunneled connection to Géant
Provider/operator is TELKOM SA
Configured as a VPN within TELKOM’s
MPLS-enabled national IP network
Entirely paid for by user institutions
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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What’s changed since
the Internet2 Spring
meeting?
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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Awareness and resolve have
reached critical mass
Govt. determined to force telecom costs down
Even Pres. Mbeki has said so
TELKOM has reduced some prices
Independent Regulator
has criticized TELKOM’s broadband offerings
will regulate accordingly
Inter-country comparisons galore
Government intends to create and fund a
gigabit NREN
TENET is assisting
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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Second National Operator (SNO)
Shareholders’ agreement signed
Tata Communications (India) in control
PSTN license imminent
First service delivery in 1Q2006?
Questions about
access to submarine fibre
effect on the prices of basic services
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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Regional developments
Failure to improve connectivity to U of
Swaziland
SPTC (Swaziland) not willing to reduce
cross-border half-circuit charges
TELKOM SA not willing to take an initiative
SARUA Fibre Study
Southern African Regional Universities Assn.
Funded by IDRC and World Bank Institute
(Americo Muchanga)
Tertiary Education Network of South Africa
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TENET developments
Internet2 MoU to be signed today
Thanks to Heather Boyles, Ana Preston
Details of connection being finalized
First conversations with IEEAF
Participation in performance monitoring
SLAC Pinger beacon site
NLANR AMP site
IPv6 tunnel broker commissioned
/32 announced to OCCAID, Real
two sites have active connections and projects
IRC server commissioned
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