Africa

1
Africa

• Warren Matthews (Georgia Tech)
• warren.matthews_at_oit.gatech.edu

2
Why?

• Need for better connectivity
• Like many leading-edge Universities, Georgia Tech
  has significant international collaborations,
  including Africa.
• Quickly found many others interested in better
  connectivity with Africa.
• Not just academic research, other International
  organizations (CDC, NLM) have significant
  missions in Africa.

3
Existing Intercontinental Connectivity

• Widespread satellite connectivity
• Many universities paying large sums for
  low-bandwidth, unreliable satellite connections.
• SAT-3 (WASC)
• Operated by Telkom SA.
• Rumored competition has already lead to 25 cut.
• Also SAFE, SeaMeWe3.

4
Proposed Intercontinental Connectivity

• East African Submarine System (EASSy)
• South African Second Network Operator (SNO)
• Unclear about SAT3 license
• Liberalization of other African
  Telecommunications markets.

5
Proposed International Connections

• IBAUD
• IDRC, PfHE
• PARENA
• NSF
• Focus Africa/NEPAD (Indo-PAN)
• effort to fight poverty and disease, the common
  enemies stalking Africa and India.

6
Existing Intercontinental Connections

• TENET
• South African Tertiary Education Network.
• 80Mbps connection with commercial networks.
• Attempting to peer directly in Europe and US.
• EU MED NET
• Numerous 2-3Mbps links in North Africa.

7
Organizations on the Ground

• USAID Leland Project
• Network Startup Resource Center
• Wider Net
• Digital Freedom Initiative (Senegal)
• eJDS

8
Nectar Net

• Current and planned activity sounds promising.
• Work together to connect projects.
• Connection-by-connection basis if necessary.

9
Senegal

• No known research network or organization
• DFI are active
• AMMA sounding station
• University Cheikh Anta Diop
• Sonatel
• France Telecom

University
NectarNet/Dakar
AMMA
10
Ghana

• Ghana Telecom
• No response from other providers

MIMCOM
Noguchi
Volta Dam
Legon
Accra
11
Nigeria

• NITEL have a national infrastructure
• Connects most of the cities
• 10Mbps
• NUNET

Obafemi Awolowa University
Abuja
Mimcom
Ile-Ife
University of Ibadan
Ibadan
Jon Postel Technology Center
University of Lagos
Lagos
12
Cameroon

• eJDS are active
• Cameroon telecommunications provided by CAMnet

University of Douala
Douala
13
South Africa

• National Research Network
• Tertiary Education Network (TENet)
• Proposed South African Research and Education
  Network (SANREN)
• Department of Science and Technology

SANREN
MRC
Cape Town
TENET
University of Pretoria
14
Other Locations

• Angola, Mozambique.
• Namibia, Botswana, Zambia.
• Mali, Burkina Faso.
• Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda.

15
Next Steps

• Move forward with partners.
• Find Funding, donations and money.
• Foster usage and work to build user groups,
  research organizations and networks.

16
Thanks

• Hilda Ceidera, David Indome, Steve Huter, Don
  Riley, Steve Song, Heather Boyles, Roy Steiner,
  Mary Kratz.

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www.nectarnet.org