1. Albert Nsengiyumva (Board member and RwEdNet Coordinator)
UbuntuNet Alliance Euro Africa-ICT Workshop Kigali, 2-3 March 2009
The Ethiopian proverb, typically African, underscores the belief in our strength: the individual NRENs, many of them in formation, are still individually weak. Together, the shall overcome the huge challenges we face.
Albert Nsengiyumva (Board member and RwEdNet Coordinator)

2. Contents Reflection The beginning Our Vision and Role
Plans and Progress
CORENA
Acknowledgements
Conclusion

3. Reflection
“We know that we have it in ourselves as Africans, to change all this [the challenges we face]. We must assert our will to do so. We must say there is no obstacle big enough to stop us from bringing about an African renaissance.”
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela’s statement is a challenge to us as Africans. As UbuntuNet, we have accepted this challenge. Research and Education networking in Africa faces obstacles at several levels, and we have the commitment to overcome all of them.

4. The beginning..
Mid 2005: Availability of terrestrial fibre and the potential east coast submarine cable EASSy catalysed the coming together of embryonic and developed NRENs in 5 countries to initiate the development of an African regional REN . At Internet Fall Meeting in Philadelphia during an informal chat among African pioneers in the lobby, Duncan Martin of TENET mooted the name “UbuntuNet” for the regional REN. The name eclipsed all earlier attempts at baptism! The UbuntuNet Alliance was registered in March 2006.
Historical self-explanatory note. The underlying drive is securing sufficient bandwidth at equitable prices to permit African researchers to become truly part of the international research community in terms of participation, contribution, and securing development advantage for our countries.

5. Our Vision and Role
We see an African continent holding its own as a member of the global REN community
Our role: enabling connectivity of national and regional RENs, with sufficient and affordable connection to each other and the international research community via fibre .
We work with the AAU REN Unit which provides continent-wide policy level stimulus, guidance and international governmental level negotiations and linkages
The Association of African Universities Research and Education Networking Unit (AAU REN Unit) has gained continent wide acceptance over the years, and is a critical means of gaining access to the highest policy levels in all African universities. It should be noted that the Chair of the UbuntuNet Board is identified through a process managed by the Association of African Universities.

6. Layers and Roles: Many dimensions, many players
IEEAF, I2, Geant, etc
UbuntuNet, etc
NREN National Infrastructure
Teachers, Researchers, Libraries,
Classrooms, Labs, Management
Regional Infrastructure
Campus Infrastructure
Content Networks (Researchers,
Libraries, Universities
Management)
Global REN Infrastructure
RwEdNet,Kenet, etc
Campus level
The diagram, largely self-explanatory, captures two aspects:
Content is the driver and the beneficiary. This also underscores the people aspect.
It should however be noted that while content networks can exist without the middle infrastructure and services layers, they would be very inefficient – the current scenario over most of Africa.

7. Cluster Based Approaches
Cluster based approach, but using common architecture/interface standards so that clusters will connect seamlessly
Data centres and network operations centres in Nairobi and Cape Town (when clusters link, these will serve each other as back-up and disaster recovery).
Enabling networking and access for institutions that use VSAT.
Linking to other regional and international REN networks.

8. South and East ClustersNA
South Cluster
Southern TZ LS BW ZM MW MZ SA SW EG ET SD KE UG
DRC
Northern TZ
Illustration of the UbuntuNet South and East Clusters. These will eventually link up into one network.
The thick blue arrows are existing or anticipated marine cable connections, projected to land before September 2009 RW
East Cluster

9. UbuntuNet: Current membership
The dark blue represents countries whose NRENs are now formally members of UbuntuNet. There is ongoing contact in the light blue countries that are recognised as Observer members and are being given assistance to form operational NRENs. These are Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Burundi, and (yes!) Somalia (effort coordinated by UNDP). Angola , Djibouti, Eritrea, and Madagascar will also be targeted.

10. Current Status (Ref: East and South Clusters)
Formal REN, advanced network and sufficient bandwidth: NONE
Formal REN and underlying infrastructure: Malawi, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, Namibia, Rwanda
Formal REN but no underlying infrastructure: Tanzania, Zambia, DRC, Uganda
REN in formation: Botswana, Burundi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Somalia
This puts the current challenge more in perspective: Most of the NRENs have been formed at the human and organisational level, but still lack internal national infrastructure. They operate through the commodity internet. Many of the member universities in some of these have only rudimentary campus infrastructure.
The second challenge is that of cross-border connectivity.
The third challenges is international connectivity.
It must be noted that our aspiration is for the same level of connectivity as the rest of the international education and research community, not scaled down “African” versions thereof.
We have established that in many African countries, there exists a lot of idle fibre. We just need to address the challenges of awareness, policy, regulation for many NRENs to secure this idle fibre – preferably as long-term IRU donations of dark fibre.
We are similarly pushing for capacity on existing and planned marine fibre.
We have developed a major project, Consolidating Research and Education Networking in Africa (CORENA) as the vehicle to our aspirations (see slides ahead).

11. Connection to Géant and the world of research (1)
General Internet
UbuntuNet router
The UbuntuNet Router, hosted in the Dante cage in London, was donated by Cisco. UbuntuNet has its own AS. The first network to work through this router and announce its routes to other NRENs and RRENs is TENET of South Africa, operating through capacity on the SAT3 cable.
A peering connection (1Gbps) has been established between the Router and G

12. Connection to Géant and the world of research (2)
STM-1 circuits on SAT-3 submarine cable
Local transit links
Internet
UbuntuNet router in London
Géant
Reefhead JHB
Breehead CPT
SA Internet
JINX
Internet Solutions
Peering with local ISPs (7 so far)
Transit from Telia Sonera and DataHop
UbuntuNet router in Johannesburg
This provides a more detailed information about the set up in London and South Africa. The green routes are UbuntuNet routes. The red routes are TENET.

13. Plans for VSAT Virtual RENs
UbuntuNet router
UbuntuNet routers at VSAT teleports in Europe
VSAT-dependent campuses all over Africa
Backhauls to London
Most members of UbuntuNet have access to the Internet only via VSAT. We have come up with the concept of the Virtual RENs as illustrated to address this.
It should be noted that NRENS whose only access via VSAT can also announce their routes once they have their ASNs. KENET of Kenya should have announced its routes by the 20th of April, leading the way for other NRENs.
ASNs and Independent IP address space are available to African Universities at concessionary rates through Afrinic.

14. CORENA (1)
CORENA – Consolidating Research and Education Networking in Africa.
The challenge: African institutions’ contribution to human development is very limited. They do not feature proportionately at the international intellectual property output level. We assert that a major cause is isolation from the knowledge age that is driven by easy and cheap access to the global information infrastructure .
Our Thesis: “Improved and affordable connectivity will enable African researchers to produce proportionate intellectual output and generate a proportionate amount of intellectual property goods”

15. CORENA (2) Major Activities:
Creating a planning and strategy knowledge base through studies and research (CORENA Phase 1, supported by IDRC)
Developing strategy and a master plan for cross-border connections and a regional overlay (country level transit for international traffic)
Implementing the infrastructure as per master plan
Supporting NREN activity at the infrastructure and content level
Capacity building
Building and strengthening partnerships, incl engagement for funding of the Master Plan

16. Appreciation to our supporters to-date
IDRC and Connectivity Africa
Partnership for Higher Education in Africa
Sida
Cisco
KTH (Sweden) EU
DANTE
IEEAF
Open Society Institute
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
TENET's FRENIA (Fostering Research and Education Networking in Africa) Program, funded by The Andrew W Mellon Foundation.
USAID
GEO
University of Washington

17. Thank you
Yes, it is food for thought. Each person must come out with their own interpretation as relevant to UbuntuNet.