What’s the idea?

1. What’s the idea? David Williams CERN, also President TERENA SERENATE End-users Workshop, Montpellier 19 January 2003

2. Topics • What is about? • Structure and timescales • Initial workshop • Operators’ workshop • Some preliminary conclusions? • This “end-users” workshop

3. WHAT ISSERENATEABOUT?

4. The acronym • SERENATE = Study into European Research and Education Networking as Targeted by eEurope • Funded as an EC project – FP5 • Looking at the strategic needs, say up to 5 years ahead • NOT making detailed plans

5. The objectives • Strategic study into the evolution of research & education networking in Europe over the next 5-10 years. Looking into the technical, organisational and financial aspects, the market conditions and the regulatory environment. Will provide inputs to the policy-making of the EC, national governments and funding bodies, research institutions and research & education networks.

6. Who are the partners? • Academia Europaea • Centre for Tele-informatics (CTI), Technical University of Denmark • DANTE • European Science Foundation • TERENA (coordinating partner) • encouraging considerable involvement of the NRENs, and hopefully of other actors, including end-users and industry

7. Steering Committee • Bonac - ARNES – “geographic” issues • Butterworth - AE – “research users” • Davies - DANTE – “technical” • Jaume - RENATER – “other users” • Liello - chair NREN Consortium • Mayer - ESF • Skouby - CTI – “economics” • Vietsch - TERENA • Williams

8. STRUCTURE AND TIMESCALES

9. The EU project • Runs from 1 May 2002 for 16 months, so until 31 August 2003 • Comprises 14 areas of work, including workshops, studies and report writing

10. Workshops • Initial workshop (17-18 Sept 2002, La Hulpe) Done • Operators’ views on infrastructure status and evolution (8 Nov 2002, Amsterdam) Done • User needs and priorities (17-19 Jan 2003, Montpellier) Today • NREN issues (4-5 Feb 2003, Noordwijkerhout) • Final workshop (16-17 June 2003, Bad Nauheim, near Frankfurt)

11. Reports • A report will be generated after each workshop (see previous slide for list) PLUS • Deployment and trends in transport and infrastructure market (~Dec 2002) • Regulatory situation, especially for alternative approaches (~Dec 2002) • Equipment trends (~Jan 2003) • Telecoms market and infra deployment forecast (~Mar 2003) • Possible infrastructure scenarios (~Mar 2003) • Overall strategic plan – input to Final Workshop (~May 2003)

12. Other areas of work • Education and other fields (libraries, healthcare….) • Geographic coverage

13. Route to more information? • http://www.serenate.org • Public pages • Also working areas for each work package • mailto:info@serenate.org

14. Where are we today?

15. INITIAL WORKSHOP

16. Initial Workshop • 17-18 September 2002 at La Hulpe • 94 participants from: national research & education networks, researchers, government and funding bodies, telecom operators, equipment manufacturers • interesting plenary presentations: • researcher’s, educationalist’s and librarian’s view • policies/politics (EP, EC, ENPG) • the view from the campus (FR, UK) • the continental view (GÉANT, Internet2) • optical networking • problems in real life • breakout discussion sessions on Technology, Economics, Geography, Researchers’ Needs, Other Users’ Needs

17. First impressions (1/3) • From hardware to services: Research networking is evolving fast. It is not so much just getting “hardware connectivity” to the researcher’s desk, but it is increasingly about delivering a set of services needed by researchers (and others). The user wants information access, collaborative tools, “disciplinary Grids”. AAA and Web/Grid services will be part of the delivery mechanism. • Research & education networks are a resource: Lots of expertise. Growing understanding by government of the importance of ICT as a driver for economic prosperity. Growing understanding by governments of the value of their research & education network’s expertise. Increasing requests to capitalise on that expertise.

18. First impressions (2/3) • Technology: The “optical wave” is a powerful one. We need to find a coherent approach to the “steadily increasing amplitude” of optical networking. • Economics: We need a clear understanding of any regulatory barriers that we could face in deploying pan-European fibre. Does it matter whether you actually own fibre, or lease it on a long-term basis, or maybe even lease wavelengths? • Geography: There is a potential conflict between two fundamental EU-policy concepts: equal opportunities for researchers wherever they are (ERA)  subsidiarity.

19. First impressions (3/3) • Researcher-User Needs: As much as they can get (and afford). AAA, Grids etc. • Other Users’ Needs: Could one develop benchmarks for schools, libraries, hospitals etc.? • Policy and funding: Dialogue with governments and politicians (national and European level) needed. www.serenate.org/workshop1.html

20. OPERATORS’ WORKSHOP

21. Operators’ Workshop (1/2) • 8 November 2002 in Amsterdam • 45 participants mainly from telecom operators, but some equipment manufacturers, and representatives of other areas of interest • The draft report exists and is in the approval process • Meeting interesting and some interest to repeat at intervals

22. Operators’ Workshop (2/2) Major themes:- • Hybrid net architecture needed • Classic approach for any-to-any connectivity • Switched approach when needing high speed between limited set of sites (Grid-style) • Little (operator) interest in >10 Gb/s • Differing approaches to offering dark-fiber – some consensus that wavelength services might be best • Expect liberalisation in East Europe to bring down costs • Further strong consolidation of the industry anticipated • Potential interest in more collaborative approach with NRENs

23. Transport Infrastructure • fact-finding on the transport and infrastructure market – deployment and trends, incl. pricing and availability and market development as well as global connectivity issues • carried out by DANTE and CTI • started in June 2002 • material GÉANT procurements as one of the inputs • confidential interviews with European-level operators • study to be completed in November 2002 • taking into account results of Operators Workshop • report in December 2002

24. Regulatory situation • study into the status of regulatory development in: • each of the EU Accession States • Portugal, Greece • the other EU Member States as a whole • carried out by CTI and Antelope Consulting • started in May 2002 (one month before schedule) • lot of information already gathered • study to be completed in November 2002 • report in December 2002

25. Equipment • study into the availability and characteristics of equipment for next-generation networks • carried out by DANTE and TERENA • contributions from technical experts from TF-NGN • started in July 2002 • questionnaire developed; interviews with equipment manufacturers to take place between 20 October and 30 November 2002 • study to be completed in December 2002 • report in January 2003

26. PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES?

27. Some themes • Complexity • From hardware to services • Research & education networks as a national resource • Technology – optical wave • Economics – impact of regulation; geography • Geography • Research Users • Other Users • Policy and funding

28. Recommendation not prescription

29. THIS WORKSHOP

30. Who are you? • Researchers working in many fields and coming from many different countries. You have been recommended to us as being interested in (computer) networking and its evolution … • But not involved in provision of network services • So – real END-USERS • Able to talk and interact

31. Pleas for the speakers • Not everyone listens to rapid-fire English every day. Please speak reasonably slowly and enunciate as clearly as you can! • Remember to send ??? a copy of your presentation • Please keep to time …

32. End-users Workshop