Justification
This project provides an innovative way of addressing the problem of
building good public networks in developing countries.. The proposed
new network will be used for testing and learning about newer
technologies like Multicast, IPv6, sensor networks, DNSSec, ENUM, and
IDN. We have already trialled IPv6 and can deploy it immediately.
Further, the additional funding will allow us to complete the WAN
components of the network. The grant will provide the glue between all
the networks we have developed inside the country.
R&E networks provide academic institutions and organizations
maximum benefit with the investment of minimum resources. Developing
countries like Nepal have limited monetary and infrastructure resources
available therefore rely on sharing or leveraging between networks. R&E networks also help other organizations build their own research
and networking capacity so that gaps between communication and
information resources among tertiary institutions are filled.
The ongoing project promotes co-existence, cooperation, and
communication among educational institutions. The concept of bringing
educational institutions into a single dedicated network through the
implementation of advanced ICT infrastructure is very sensible not only
because of the information and resource sharing, but also because of
the skilled workforce it will produce. It will provide valuable
learning experiences for future generations.
The benefits of having an R&E Network have already been proven in
many countries and regions; therefore building a high-speed network
will help the future of the Internet in Nepal.
Project summary
NREN proposes to use a public private partnership model for building a high-speed network in Nepal. NREN has reached a tentative arrangement with the service providers in Nepal to subsidize the building of such an R&E network, by providing the access network at cost.
The project aims to upgrade connectivity and increase capacity to education institutions within the Kathmandu valley enabling them to use advanced video conferencing applications, through leased and owned fiber links. The plan for institutions outside Kathmandu will utilize slightly lower capacity links. The upgraded network will add abilities like video conferencing, library sharing as well as connection to the WIDE project AI3 and SOI initiatives.
For Nepal, there is currently an emerging R&E network. The current network has very low speed (64kbps ~ 128 Kbps) and in some virtual network cases, can’t facilitate the use of advanced video conferencing and other technologies. Consequently, in collaboration with the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC), NREN upgraded the internal campus network of many institutions in Nepal. This included training done by NSRC in Nepal, as well as the donation of HP switches for internal networks. NSRC also conducted training for universities and NREN members during SANOG 12 in Kathmandu, and the ISOC Advanced ccTLD Workshop, also in Kathmandu. Further, NSRC will donate and ship all the necessary equipment for the internal networking needs of Nepalese universities. Upgrading to ensure wider connectivity will maximize use of the internal network.
Given the current transition state of the country, further enhancing this infrastructure needs to be addressed innovatively by entering into a partnership with telecom and infrastructure service providers.
Organization profile
The Nepal Research and Education Network (NREN) was established to facilitate and support an advanced research and education network through ICT including a knowledge centre to support ICT initiatives and research. It is the only consortium of its type in Nepal and actively works to build the nation’s networks.
The lack of proper networking efforts and unavailability of a dedicated high-speed network is a key obstacle to fulfilling NREN’s main objectives. As a member of the Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN), NREN supports high-speed dedicated network infrastructure and connectivity services to colleges and institutions throughout the nation with the hope of building an ICT-developed nation.
NREN has established an agreement with APAN towards the establishment of a high-speed dedicated network to support the development of a national computational grid for research and education.
For more information about NREN, visit: http://www.nren.net.np/
Information Society Innovation Fund
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