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New national optical network is introduced to international partners

RNP’s director participates in Internet2 meeting through videoconference


On September 19, Michael Stanton, RNP’s Innovations Director, participated in an international meeting of advanced network representatives – the International Task Force Meeting. This meeting was part of the official program of the Fall 2005 Member Meeting of the North American Internet2 project, which took place in Philadelphia until September 22.

Through videoconference, from RNP’s Rio de Janeiro office, Michael took part in the panel "Interconnecting regional optical networks and national education and research networks and national infrastructure: revealing models for networks based on dark fiber and other optical network trends in the global education and research community." In his speech – "Building optical networks in Brazil" –, RNP’s Innovations director presented the National Optical Initiative, Giga Project, the Communitarian Education and Research Networks (Redecomep) initiative and the Ipê network, the new optical network infrastructure which will be inaugurated by RNP in October.

Michael started his presentation talking about Brazil’s continental dimensions, which would make the work of implementing and maintaining a national network more complex than in smaller and more economically developed countries, such as those in Western Europe. Then, he spoke about the history of the academic Internet in Brazil, since the time of the Bitnet, in 1988, until nowadays, with the first optical network initiatives. An example cited of a Brazilian optical network was Giga Project, a partnership of RNP with the Center of Telecommunications Research and Development (CPqD). Giga Project network, inaugurated in May 2004, has permitted several R& D projects related to optical networks to be carried out.

The speech also included the integration of Latin American countries through Clara Network and the development of regional optical networks, as part of the Redecomep initiative. Michael declared that these regional networks, to be installed in all the capitals of the country, will be integrated by means of Ipê network, RNP’s national optical network.

National Optical Initiative

As explained by Michael Stanton, since 2002 RNP has been studying strategies of optical network implementation and use. The first step was the creation of Giga Project, a closed experimental network for research on new optical fiber technologies. The project went ahead due to the support of telecommunications operators – Telefônica, Telemar, Embratel, Intelig and Pegasus –, which gave the fibers, and the government – Finep and Funttel –, which sponsored RNP and CPqD’s initiative.

Giga experience has helped to plan the national optical production network, now being configured, and which will be officially launched in the last week of October. This infrastructure was named Ipê, both as a reference to the tree that symbolizes the nation, known for its beauty and resistance, and as a word play with IP, the Internet Protocol.

Other members of the National Optical Initiative (ION) are the metropolitan optical networks making up Redecomep and the project of expansion of the experimental Giga network to the Northeast, using fibers from energy companies.

In his speech, Michael stressed the question of costs, remembering that optical networks permit a quick return of the initial investment in fiber and optical equipment implantation, representing great economy in some time, if compared to the traditional model of hiring leased lines from telecommunications operators. The new model also allows the formation of partnerships with energy companies – such as Petrobras, Eletronet and Chesf – for sharing optical fibers, which would reduce the cost of implementing infrastructure, generating benefits to all the involved parts.

Finally, Michael talked about a few technical aspects, showing some options of architecture for connecting the institutions among themselves (on a regional level) and also to the national network.

It was the first time that Ipê network was introduced to the external audience with this name. Other speakers participating in the panel were Dale Smith and Paul Schoppis, from the United States (Quilt and Oarnet); Artur Binczewski, from Poland (PSCN); Stanislav Sima, from the Czech Republic (Cesnet); and Dai Davies, from Europe (Dante/Géant2). The International Task Force gathers representatives from networks having Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Internet2 project, like the case of RNP.

[RNP, 09.21.2005]

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