Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June (GN2) NA4 Support for Research and Education Networking in Less Advanced Countries Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, 6-9 June

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Overview Background TERENA activities in support of less advanced countries GN2 NA4 Support activity Focus countries and priority setting R&E Networking in the first countries under consideration in 2005

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June TERENA activities in recent years TERENA Members Development Programme Gain better understanding about the status of R&E networking in the country, inhibitors and opportunities Help understanding the role of TERENA and promoting participation in TERENA activities Visit the country, talk to users and stakeholders of the NREN and provide recommendations: Lithuania, Latvia, FYR of Macedonia

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June GN2 Support for less advanced countries Target countries –NRENs participating in the GN2 project –countries that have obtained connectivity to GÉANT through the SEEREN and EUMEDCONNECT projects More advanced participants in the GN2 project will assist NRENs, and possibly regional and local research and education networks, in the less-advanced countries. This will address in particular transfer of knowledge in technical, managerial and policy areas Budget € 600,000 over four years Sep 2004 – Sep 2008

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Type of support actions technical workshops on specific operational aspects of advanced network technologies managerial workshops, addressing the management of research and education networks and their relations with government, funding bodies, connected institutions, end- users and telecommunications operators consultancy to research and education networking organisations in less-advanced countries, including for example the development of business plans secondment of staff members from research and education networking organisations in less-advanced regions with more advanced NRENs and universities.

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Method of work Short list of target countries Annual revision of the priority –Bandwidth of national network –External connectivity –Human resources –Organisation & management –Funding –Opportunity Focus Countries: Needs Assessment Role of Advisory Panel: assist and assess the work done Public GN2 NA4 report

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Initial set of focus countries in 2005 Albania –Visit on May 2005 –Recommendations (confidential) issued by Mid June 2005 –Users workshop by mid November 2005 Morocco –Visit on June 2005 –Follow up during summer and fall 2005

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Albania: NREN No progress about Academic Network of Albania initiated by joint decision of Ministry of Education and Science and Academy of Sciences –Management Board –Technical Board There is no NREN in Albania INIMA: Institute of Informatics and Applied Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences –DNS service for secondary level domains of ccTld.al – SMTP and HTTP service for the ASA –institution LAN –1 Mbit/s leased line to the Internet –International connectivity 2Mbit/s from SEEREN discontinued

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Albania: R&E institutions and networks 11 Universities in Albania –6 located in Tirana (half of country students), including: University of Tirana – 7 faculties > 15,000 students Polytechnic University – 4 faculties > 3,000 students –Other universities in Elbasani, Shkodra, Gjirokastra, Korca, Vlora Academy of Sciences: 14 institutes, incl. INIMA About 40 R&D departments at ministry level No national academic network interconnecting universities or institutes, a few institutes in Tirana have computer labs and (partial) Ethernet-based LAN + connection to the Internet via ISPs –Faculty of Electric Engineering, Natural Sciences, Economy No dedicated resources for provision of network services

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Albania: ICT and Telecommunications National strategy for ICT, which includes creation of NREN, but low priority in practice Result of 3 June election may change the situation ALBTELECOM incumbent operator – fixed telephony – being privatised. Monopoly officially ended in Partially liberalised marked for mobile telephony. Internet market liberalised – confusion about data transmission Opportunity for acquiring optical fibre by the academic community?

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June ALBTELECOM National Network 97 km 34 Mb/s 246 km 155 Mb/s 539 km land lines 594 km submarine (intern.) lines 622 Mb/s

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June ALBTELECOM International Network 2 projects: Trans Balkan Line (TBL) East-West ADRIA 1 North-South Both with STM-4 (622Mb/s) FO Montenegro: FO Scutari-Murriqan (border) Kosovo: MW Tirana- Cvilen

Valentino Cavalli TNC2005, Poznan, 6-9 June Albania: conclusions Make sure that new government gives higher priority to information society and to research and education networking Lobbying in favour of creating the NREN or agreeing on an institution representing the whole R&E community Favour the exploitation of international initiatives in promoting the creation of a national network backbone