Sarua-Fibre project Challenges involved in the establishment of an academic broadband backbone in Southern and East Africa Supported by IDRC Björn Pehrson KTH, Stockholm

A modest requirement Universities are key to all communities wanting to keep up with the development towards the global knowledge society African universities need the same network connectivity as their peers on other continents to fulfill their tasks –Education, Research, Community Service All agree?

Sarua-Fibre Objectives Broadband Internet access for universities in Southern and East Africa based on optical fibre A parallel track to coordinated VSAT procurement addressed in other projects Both are needed in a foreseeable future Even a sparse fibre infrastructure will bring VSAT islands back to Africa from all other continents

Goals 2008 Gbps links rather than Kbps National Research and Education Networks Regional Backbone

Why NRENs? VSAT connections are vertical, fiber connections are horizontal Save costs sharing the access network Share resources like caching servers, supercomputers, a national grid Pool human and financial resources Increase your lobbying power

Why a regional Backbone Consortial procurement of Internet access for all NRENs Transborder academic peering in Africa Global academic peering via Géant, Internet2, Eumednet, TEIN, ALICE,...

It turns out there is fibre not everywhere and not always possible to use Policy and regulations in the way Or lack of business models Or market pricing, even higher than VSAT Fibre-database sponsored by IDRC More fibre is being rolled out as we speak, in power grid extension programmes, along railways and pipelines, etc.

Telecommunications Infrastructures of EDM Optical Fiber – Geographic location The fiber is installed in the Southern part of the country The fiber is installed in the Southern part of the country New lines must include a fiber by “default” New lines must include a fiber by “default” There is a proposal for a fiber on Mozambique – Malawi interconnection There is a proposal for a fiber on Mozambique – Malawi interconnection

Tanzania

Facilitator#1 is political will Talk to politicians in terms of deliverables Cf Rwanda –National fibre infrastructure –Internet Exchange –All schools being wired Other early birds:.mz,.mw,.zm,.tz Open to others to join when they are ready

The messages Universities can contribute to a dynamic development of society, in all sectors, if –They get broadband –Soon also access dark fibre to build high- performance, non-commercial private networks for research and education Universities, as public organisations benefitting all parts of society, should get access to public goods, such as infrastructure (ducts, fibre)

Facilitator#2 is the regulatory framework Work with the regulators to clarify and push the limits Universities should be allowed to build and operate non-commercial private networks with domestic and transborder traffic. Publicly owned fiber infrastructure should be licensed or leased, similar to radio spectrum, but unlimited.

Status: Existing NRENs South Africa: –SANREN (planned) –TENET (procurement consortium) Kenya KENET –Holds a license for international traffic Tanzania: TENET –Tanesco, Tazara, TRC, Songas, TTCL

NRENs in progress have/will get licenses, negotiate dark fibre Mocambique: MoRENet –Maputo - Inhambane – Beira - Nampula- Quelimane - Pemba (TDM, EDM) Malawi –Blantyre-Lilongwe,Mzuzu, Zomba (ESCOM, MTL) Zambia –UNZA, Lusaka - CBU, Kitwe. (ZESCO, CEC) Rwanda –NUR, Butare – KIST, Kigali Uganda

Blantyre campuses

Status: Regional Backbone Available routes –SAT3 –SAFE –Terrestrial SA-Namibia-Zambia-Tanzania-> DRC-Zambia-Zimbabwe –EASSy, including access networks Internet access/global peering in the Red Sea Managed by a regional organization (DANTA?)

2008 is the year when it all comes together, if not before

Universities can support the establishment of sustainable broadband markets Academia can host neutral, non-commercial, pre-competitive pilots Public sector can provide critical mass and take infrastructure investments –Traffic from Public administration Education Healthcare provides 20-40% of all traffic in developed markets and the proportion is even more in developing markets Then, private sector and civil society will add to the sustainability of business models