Update on NREN developments in South Africa

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Update on NREN developments in South Africa

• Progress and Challenges in Building National
  Research and Education Networks In AfricaA View
  from the Field
  
• Philadelphia, 18 September 2005

Duncan MartinCEO of TENET
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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

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Whats meant byResearch and Education
Networking?
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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 Internet2s standard MoU with
  international partners)

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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.

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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 TELKOMs MPLS-enabled
  national IP network
  
• Entirely paid for by user institutions

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Whats changed since the Internet2 Spring meeting?
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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 TELKOMs broadband offerings
• will regulate accordingly
• Inter-country comparisons galore
• Government intends to create and fund a gigabit
  NREN
  
• TENET is assisting

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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

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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)

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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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