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FUNET to be upgraded to 2.5 gigabit capacity
CSC chooses Sonera as its high power network operator

Finnish center for high-performance computing and networking CSC will speed up the Finnish University and Research Network FUNET to 2.5 Gbps. The update is scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2001, making FUNET one of the world's most powerful data network providers in the field of research and academic education. Other academic networks with the same operational speed include America's Internet2, and the Dutch SURFnet.

The aim of the new network is to create an infrastructure for new academic services such as the virtual university, distance education and video conferences. The new network will also facilitate mobile and broadband networks supporting education and research. As an example, the transfer rate of 2.5 Gbps enables a book of over 100,000 pages to be transmitted in just one second.

"The reliable operation of the FUNET network will become even more important over the next few years, as the academic community transfers more and more new applications and communication over the Internet. This is why the new data network is imperative," says Markus Sadeniemi, Technology Director at CSC.

Over the past few years the amount of data communication transferred through FUNET has increased by about 150 percent per year. The extensive growth in traffic is due to the fact that the research community and students have become increasingly active network users, and to FUNET's proactive implementation of new network services and technologies.

In addition to the data communication network to be renewed, CSC provides its client organizations with basic data communication services, including information security and 24-hour daily maintenance. The FUNET network enables researchers and students access also to other academic networks, such as Internet2. Furthermore, FUNET's new network interfaces are physically located in university facilities. This helps to enlarge the role of universities in the development of data communication infrastructure.

The agreement between CSC and Sonera is an extension of their long-term collaboration in building state-of-the-art networks, network management, and development cooperation. The same technology is applied both in the FUNET network and in Sonera's new generation client networks. Sonera's network application is the first broadband WDM client network with countrywide coverage and access capacity of tens of gigabits. Approaching the World Wide Grid (WWG), led by the Ministry of Education, Finland is one of the leading European countries implementing the eEurope 2002 Action Plan of the European Commission. The target of the plan is to increase the capacity of research networks in member states to 2.5 gigabits by the end of 2001.

Uninett, a Norwegian academic network, has also initiated a similar project at the beginning of September. The high-speed networks are able to offer brand new types of opportunities for European research and education collaboration. The aim of the eEurope 2002 program is to support the development of the WWG. In the GRID initiatives, powerful supercomputers can be linked to perform demanding scientific computations using high-speed networking.

As an example, this would enable CERN, the European Laboratory of Particle Physics, to make computer runs with national supercomputers in different countries.

CSC - Scientific Computing Ltd., owned by the Ministry of Education, maintains the Funet network of universities and research institutions, as well as Finland's most powerful computing environment. Funet communication links provide research workers with access to CSC's supercomputers and Finland's widest selection of scientific software and databases.


This news item came through i2-news, the news bulletin service of Internet2 For list utilities, archives, unsubscription, etc. please visit the ListProc web interface at http://mail.internet2.edu/


Contact:
Klaus Lindberg
Project Manager
Klaus.Lindberg@csc.fi

Markus Sadeniemi
Technology Director
Markus.Sadeniemi@csc.fi

Juha Oinonen
R&D Manager
Juha.Oinonen@csc.fi

Sonera Solutions Oy
Aki Lindell
Sales Manager
aki.lindell@sonera.com


  
     
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