National Research Educational Networks Role in ICT Development:

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National Research Educational Networks Role in
ICT Development Caucasus and Middle Asia
Experience
The Global ICT Conference 2004 Baku,
Azerbaijan Digital Divide and Knowledge Economy
Problems and Solutions 25-28 November,
2004                     
Vice-President Dr. Elchin Aliyev
www.azrena.org elchin_at_azrena.org

Baku, Azerbaijan
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Creation of NRENs
In 2000 at the suggestion of NATO Scientific
Program South Caucasus and Central Asia countries
start to create their own NREN. NATO rendered the
financial assistance in creating the technical
network bases. Creation of the National Research
Education Network (NREN) allows to scientific
education society facilitate not only
communication process inland but to communicate
with theirs international colleagues. NREN was
created taken into account the international
experience in creation of similar associations.
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The established NRENs
KazRENA www.kazrena.kz
AzRENA www.azrena.org
KRENA-AkNET www.krena.kg
GRENA www.grena.ge
UzSciNet www.uzsci.net
TuRENA
ARENA www.arena.am
TARENA www.tarena-tj.org
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Role in ICT Development
Development of information technologies influence
on the world society existence. Wide ICT
application reforms the social life and lead to
the positive changes in the economical, social
and culture spheres. One of the most important
conditions of creation the information society is
by means of ICT ensuring for the civil society,
private and governmental sectors the access to
data ware. Therefore, there is no possibility
of creation the modern information society
without developed infrastructure which should be
ensured by NREN in each country.
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NREN Members Diagram
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Connection of various organizations
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Diagram of the users connected to Internet
through NREN
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Ways of Internet Access
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8
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23
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NRENs use various ways of Internet Access which
are shown above in percentage
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NRENs. Experience.
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Development of ICT in Azerbaijan
At the World Summit (Geneva, December, 2003) Mr.
Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan
Republic, has appreciated the true value of
activities, spent in republic in the ICT field
and has especially noted determining role ICT in
economic policy.

• The basic directions of the program are
• development of a telecommunication and
  information infrastructure
• preparation of the legislative environment
  for transition to new IKT system
• creation of the state regulating committee in
  this field
• creation and development the electronic
  government
• questions, concerning the safety of the
  information
• and development the scientific and technical
  base.

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The network infrastructure of AZRENA (first part)
The AzRENA Network is connected Education and
Research Institutions in Baku and in Azerbaijan
regions. AzRENA has the Licenses (September 20,
2002) to installation and operation of 3 TxPx
VSATs from Radio Frequency Committee of
Azerbaijan.
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The network infrastructure of AZRENA (second part)
The Internet connection is provided by follows
128 Kb Up/Down via AzEuroTel ISP down via 3
own RO VSAT including 1 VSAT in Nakhichevan by
summary capacity of 1 Mb by means of Satellite
Operator.
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Network Technological Components

• Ensuring of high speed access to
  Internet-Backbone
• - connection thought ISP, using of
  satellite channels and especial
  equipment
• Republic data transmission basic networks
• - fiber optic channels - radio
  relay channels - Satellite communication
• Technology solutions last mile
• - using of leased communication
  channels, - using of the Radio-Ethernet
  Bridge wireless technologies
• Creation of the National Information Resources
  
• - technological maintenance and training
  (AzRENA) - generation of the information
  recourses (network participants)

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Role of AzRENA in Regional ICT Development
AzRENA together with Governmental and
International Sectors participated in
International ICT Events 1. In World Summits
on the Information Society (WSIS) December
2003, Geneva 2. PrepCom 1 June 2004,
Tunisia, Hammamet 3. Consultations on the
Establishment of the Working Group on
Internet Governance (WGIG) September 2004,
Geneva

• AzRENA participate in
• Development of State Program of ICT
• STM 1 Connectivity to EU Internet Backbone
• Creation Virtual International Distance Center

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Main Stakeholders
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Coordination of all Stakeholders directed on ICT
Development.

• Azerbaijan set a good example of a successful
  cooperation of different institutions.
• Stakeholders
• Government
• NGO
• UNDP
• NATO
• European Union
• OSI-AF
• IREX/IATP
• RELIEF

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Existing Projects

• Internet Access and Infrastructure
  Development for Research Educational and
  Civil Society Development Purposes
  Government of Azerbaijan (Ministry of
  Communication and Information
  Technologies), UNDP, AzRENA OSI-AF
• The Project of Distance Education of USA
  Program of Partnership between Indiana
  University and AzRENA IU/AzRENA
• NATO Virtual Silk Highway, NICTS
• Project Harmony Azerbaijan School
  connectivity Program
• Project of Ministry of Education Equipping by
  ICT the general education schools
  2005-2007 (4521 schools, 50000 computers)
• Project of Azerbaijan Government and UNDP
  E-Government Network Initiative
• The project of education field development
  with World Bank assistance (2003-2012)

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NATO Virtual Silk Highway Project

• The goal of Silk Project to bring cost effective
  Internet connectivity to research and education
  community of 3 countries in Caucasus and 5
  countries in Central Asia.
• To increase significantly exchange of information
  between academic and educational institutions in
  these regions.

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NATO Virtual Silk Highway Project

• Before NATO Silk Project
• National Research and Education Networks (NRENs)
  existed only in few countries.
• Available bandwidth for Internet connectivity of
  NRENs were from 64 Kbps to 512 Kbps.
• Poor data network infrastructure of NRENs.
• Constraints on NATO Silk Project
• Not more than 2.5M was available from NATO
  Computer Networking Panel Budget in 2001-04.
• Feasibility study demonstrated
• Only satellite technology was feasible
• A minimum of 500 Mbpsmonths bandwidth should
  be devoted to 8 countries during 2002-05

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NATO Virtual Silk Highway Project

• Current Status
• Stations are operational in all 8 countries since
  2003.
• Each country is receiving guaranteed bandwidth
  about 2/0.5 Mbps, advantage - not used bandwidth
  is used by other countries.
• Additional station will be installed in Kabul,
  Afghanistan in October 2004.

Satellite Stations
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IPv6 Activities

• Countries expressed interest in getting
  experience but not at cost of IPv4 service.
• Easy to arrange with dual-stack router and
  tunnelled IPv6. Native IPv6 needs special
  hardware for DVB.
• ESA/IABG provided boards and 3 MHz channel for
  two months to test IPv6/DVB.

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Educational Partnerships Program IU/AzRENA

• IU/AzRENA partnership has 4 major goals
• Develop Azerbaijan faculty instructional
  design and IU global E-learning expertise
• Develop Web-based courses to support
  Azerbaijan faculty professional development
  program focused on DE design and
  implementation
• Develop and deliver a Pilot online course
  demonstrating DE application in the local
  educational context
• Scaling up the initial DE experience to other
  Azerbaijan higher education institutions.

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E-Learning Partnership Program Perspectives
AzRENA Base Regional Center of DE
E-LCAzRENA
Educationalmaterialsin e-version
Distance Courses
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NATO Silk Distance Education Workshop
Distance Education Organizational, technology
and pedagogical bases, which was successfully
held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Sept 20 to Sept
25, 2004.
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Solving of the Digital Divide problem

• Solving of Digital Divide problem demands
  balanced system approach, which
  should be concentrated on the following
  directions
• Development of the modern communication
  network, which will corresponds with the
  multi-service information technology
  infrastructure
• Financing on the governmental level the
  programs on creation wide and quality
  communication networks
• Development of the education system, oriented
  to the computer technologies
• Through the whole territory (in each country)
  increasing the quantity of the points of
  access to the information recourses
• Creation of the public points of information
  literacy training
• Creation of the atmosphere, where information
  technologies will be demanded by the civil
  society
• providing the unprotected strata of society
  with the conditions on free of charge access
  to the modern ICT aids.

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NREN connection to European GEANT educational
network
European Research Education Network GEANT is the
very progressive scientific network in European
infrastructure, which consolidates more than 3
thousand Research and Education Organizations, 3 
million individual users form mote that 31
European countries. 9 (nine) channels, the GEANT
system backbone, functioning at the speed of 10
Gbps, the rest of 11 (eleven) at the speed of 2,5
Gbps. NREN connection to the GEANT network is
the vital importance for our countries. Due to
this connection, Research Educational
Organizations of our countries will get the
access to the specialized European research
education networks and this connection will
facilitate the process of science consolidation
into united network.
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Multi-Gigabit pan-European Research Network
Backbone Topology
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GEANT and.... NREN
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The Global ICT Conference 2004 Baku,
Azerbaijan Digital Divide and Knowledge Economy
Problems and Solutions 25-28 November,
2004                     
National Research Educational Networks Role in
ICT Development Caucasus and Middle Asia
Experience
THANKS FOR ATTENTION!
Vice-President Dr. Elchin Aliyev
www.azrena.org elchin_at_azrena.org