Internet 2,

1
Progress and Challenges in Building National
Research and Education Networks in Africa a
view from the fieldNational Research and
Education Networks getting started in Malawi

• Margaret E Ngwira mngwira_at_kcn.unima.mw
• Anthony Muyepa muyepaa_at_medcol.mw

2
NREN Getting Started in Malawi
A brief introduction to Malawi

• Republic in Southern Africa
• Area 45747 sq miles
• 10.5 million population
• Agriculture-based economy
• Low and falling life expectancy of around 37
  years
• University of Malawi is 40 years old and has
  sound academic standards but many resource
  constraints

3
NREN Getting Started in Malawi

• The Millennium Development Goals cover
  eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving
  universal primary education, improving health,
  combating HIV/AIDS , ensuring environmental
  sustainability, developing a global partnership
  for development
• All can be addressed in various measures if
  connectivity is faster and cheaper!
• http//www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

4
NREN Getting Started in Malawi Connectivity
Issues in Malawi

• Internet access is Malawi has until now been slow
  and expensive
• Bandwidth comes though leased lines and VSATs
• The Regulatory Framework is supportive of
  Academic and Research Networking

5
NREN Getting Started in Malawi Malawi
Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
Policy (draft 2003)

• Some Policy Objectives (section 3)
• Improve ICT infrastructure
• Build ICT RD capacity in Malawis
  universitiesand research institutions
• Facilitate the development and utilisation of
  ICTs to support the activities of the health
  Sector

6
NREN Getting Started in MalawiThe MALICO VSATs

• One response to the slow connectivity in the
  academic sector was to investigate the possible
  contribution of VSATs
• In February 2005, through the efforts of the
  Malawi Library and Information Consortium,
  MALICO, with funding support from OSI, OSISA and
  World Bank, 4 3.7 metre VSATs were installed at
  academic sites from north to south of Malawi
• Since then they have been providing excellent
  access to a rich variety of available e-resources

7
NREN Getting Started in Malawi
M A L I C O VSAT SITES
Mzuzu University University of Malawi Bunda
College of Agriculture Chancellor College College
of Medicine
Image by CSIR
8
NREN Getting Started in Malawi
RFP Satellite Linkage
VSAT Launch, 8 May 2005
9
NREN Getting Started in MalawiWhere does Fibre
fit into Malawi Academic Networking?

• For Malawi, realisation that VSATs are just a
  step in a journey towards fast low cost academic
  bandwidth
• The bandwidth the VSATs provide, while
  infinitely better than what was before, is
  expensive approximately US3500 per Mb
• So in June 2005, Malawi joined the SARUA Fibre
  initiative
• This is in order to explore possible available
  (including dark) fibre and how it might benefit
  the academic sector

10
NREN Getting Started in Malawi The Bigger
Picture AAU , SARUA and the quest for Fibre

• AAU General Assembly in Capetown, South Africa,
  Feb 2005 ICT Task Force
• SARUA born at AAU GA Southern African Regional
  Universities Association
• SARUA Fibre Initiative an output
• Working with SIDA Sweden, IDRC and World Bank to
  identify available fibre and find ways of using
  it for academic networking

11
NREN Getting Started in MalawiWhat steps have
been undertaken so far in the Malawi Fibre quest?

• Establishment of a National Research and
  Education Network Task Force representing the two
  major public Universities, with top level
  leadership August 2005. It is chaired by
  Professor L Kamwanja, the Pro Vice Chancellor of
  the University of Malawi and has a broad
  membership
• We are collecting all the documentation necessary
  to prepare a project proposal to move the process
  on.

12
NREN Getting Started in MalawiWhere is the
fibre?

• We started a process of consultation to
  identify any Fibre, existing or planned
• This is a new area for Malawi and information is
  not readily available
• We were able to get the fibre plans for ESCOM,
  the Electricity supply company for Malawi
• There are immediate plans for Fibre from Blantyre
  to Lilongwe and Salima . The continuation to
  Mzuzu is dependent on the metal power
  transmission poles
• This means it is dependent on a major World Bank
  Infrastructure project, the Southern Africa
  Power Project. We are in touch with World Bank
  trying to get further details.
• We have checked with the Railway company but they
  have no fibre.

13
NREN Getting Started in MalawiWhat else have
we done?

• Members of the NREN Task Force are also involved
  in helping get 2 National Internet Exchanges
  established to ensure local traffic goes locally
• We have met with our Communications and
  Regulatory Authority and gained their support for
  the NREN concept
• We have also got the blessing of the Ministry of
  Information

14
NREN Getting Started in MalawiA planned
modular approach

• Given the enormity of the project, it is proposed
  to start with local academic gigabit fibre
  networks in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu
• The drawings have been done for Blantyre,
  connecting all the higher education and health
  institutions to a fibre backbone and then
  connecting it to the Electricity Company Fibre or
  the Telecomms Company

15
NREN Getting Started in MalawiAny other
challenges?

• With all the constraints of international
  procurement and delays in obtaining Foreign
  Exchange in a hunger year, and the devaluating
  currency, and freight charges costs and possible
  duty, costs to set up the network are proving
  higher than expected
• Human capacity in this area is very limited
  nationally
• Mzuzu University and Chancellor College and Bunda
  College of Agriculture are off the path for fibre
  for some years yet are major academic sites.

16
NREN Getting Started in MalawiThe Way Forward

• The availability of fibre for a regional
  academic backbone infrastructure is being
  investigated, including the East African
  Submarine Cable System (EASSy) and alternative
  fibre from power utilities, railway companies,
  etc.
• It is proposed that an African Bandwidth
  Consortium is registered, with members from each
  of the user countries, and that a regional model
  inspired by DANTE, Delivery of Advanced Network
  Technologies for Europe, is used for operating
  the backbone.
• This could be called DANTA

17
NREN Getting Started in Malawi
CONCLUSION

• The theme of the day is Progress and Challenges
  in Building National Research and Education
  Networks in Africa a view from the FieldAt the
  moment the Field seems more like a steep
  mountain
• But Where there is no vision, the people
  perish!
• We have the vision.
• The Millenium Development Goals also shape our
  vision.
• We hope that partners will assist us in its
  implementation, and then we will also work with
  our neighbouring countries in our global village!

18
NREN Getting Started in Malawi

• Thank you!