Working in Latin America Tales from on the Road Walt Magnussen Associate Director for Telecommunictions Texas A&M University 8 May 2002

Major Activities in Mexico  TAMU opens center in Mexico – facilitates collaborative projects. . Relationship with CONACYT (National Council on Science and Technology)Texas A&M Center in Mexico is legally registered with CONACYT as a Mexican institution in Mexico.  Cooperation in Mexico’s Internet 2 network (CUDI) including attempt to establish second border crossing in Texas.  Researchers at TAMU currently working with all CUDI institutions in varying capacities. –Architecture and Veterinary – UNAM –Wildlife and Fisheries ITESM –Education – Polytech

Latin America – relationship with IICA  Organized under United Nations to provide Agricultural Research and Education in all 32 Western Hemispheric nations.  Headquarter in San Jose, Costa Rica  5 Regional offices  Office in each member nation

Initiative began with an MOU between TAMU and IICA to provide technical and academic support. Projects include:  Development of Distance Education Center modeled after Center for Distance Learning Research (CDLR) at TAMU.  Site studies and installations in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Barbados, Costa Rica, Mexico. Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura

Site Surveys  Involved communications with local Telcos, competative companies where available and large private networks as partners.

Technical Lessons learned  Fiber is often more readily available than it is in the US. Copper plant usually in bad shape.  Digital services such as ISDN often available and cheap.  Telcos more willing to partner – i.e. MCU in Columbia. Not as bound by regulation as in the US. Forces you to think out of the box.  Business cases of most projects more detailed.

Managerial Lessons Learned  Negotiate rates in currency most favorable.  Be aware of Homologation Issues  Never underestimate the time that it takes to deal with customs – Costa Rica  Language was much less of an issue than I anticipated.

CUDI Border Crossing

Other Lessons  NOC Interaction – Meeting held at Joint Techs in Tempe between CUDI NOC, CALRen NOC and Abilene NOC.  Need for network monitoring tools.  Border crossing is the most difficult issue.  Interaction with Telco at NOC level is often issue.

The world is a shrinking place due partly to communications efforts led by the international Internet2 Community  Walt Magnussen  