M A R E N Malawi Research and Education Network Formation, Successes, Challenges and Plans

1. M A R E NMalawi Research and EducationNetworkFormation,Successes, Challenges and Plans Ulemu Nyasulu, Margaret Ngwira and Anthony Muyepa MAREN Co-founders and Task-Force members www.malico.mw/maren (soon www.maren.mw )

2. Outline of Presentation • Birth • Main Goals • Objectives • Phases • Partnership • Opportunities • Challenges

4. MAREN Stakeholder Consultation, 11 July 2007

5. Consultative Meeting Welcome Startup Grant from FRENIA assisted with the July Stakeholder Consultation and set up of secretariat

6. MAREN MAREN is one of the five founding NRENs of UbuntuNet Alliance, and emerged from the MALICO (Malawi Library and Information Consortium)

7. Birth of MAREN

8. The MALICO VSATs – Emergence of MAREN One response to the slow connectivity in the academic sector was to investigate the possible contribution of VSATs In February 2005 through MALICO, 4 VSATs were installed through funding from OSI, World Bank, and OSISA and local partners. 5 MB Aggregate bandwidth is shared between academic sites

9. 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

10. The College of Medicine MALICO VSAT The 3.7m dish at College of Medicine, the connection to the Internet

11. Great Days in February 2005 - Mounting the 4 Dishes

12. MAREN Framework Participating institutions must be research or tertiary educational institutions Subject to an Acceptable Use Policy… MAREN will make peering/transit agreements with other RENs

13. Main Goals

14. Goals • Provide cost-effective connectivity both among the Malawi tertiary education and research institutions and through UbuntuNet Alliance, to the rest of the World, • Help universities and research centres build their information infrastructure • Increase sharing of knowledgeand electronic content including digital information • Collaborate in research

15. Objectives

16. Objectives • Connecting all the Malawi Higher Education and Research Institutions in a Network with high-speed access to the global Internet. • Providing a platform for researchers in Malawi to participate in: • collaborative research • development projects nationally and on the international stage • access global cyber-infrastructure

17. Objectives (continued) Provide the infrastructure to support: Online education Development of learning and research networks in Malawi Facilitate access to national and international information resources.

18. Members of Maren

19. Members of MAREN University of Malawi Bunda College of Agriculture, Lilongwe Kamuzu College of Nursing, Lilongwe and Blantyre Chancellor College, Zomba College of Medicine with Queen Elizabeth Hospital (teaching hospital) Polytechnic Mzuzu University Department of Agricultural Research Services

20. Members contd. • Malaria Research Centres, Queen Elizabeth Hospital • Wellcome Trust • Apple Study Project (Wellcome Trust) • Malaria Alert Center/Blantyre Malaria Project • Johns Hopkins University Malaria Project

21. Potential Members • National College of Information Technology • Malawi Institutute of Management • Lilongwe University of Science and Technology • Livingstonia University • Catholic University • Malawi College of Accountancy, • Malawi College of Health Sciences,

22. Phases

24. Blantyre Campus Fibre Backbone This phase aimed at interconnecting research and educational institutions within the vicinity of College of Medicine in Blantyre The equipment and services required for Blantyre Campus Network were funded as a joint venture between MIMCom and College of Medicine. Technical support was from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Sweden and College of Medicine ICT staff

25. Blantyre Campus backbone The following institutions have been interconnected with optic fibre: College of Medicine - clinical departments in Queens Hospital KCN Blantyre Campus Polytechnic Johns Hopkins WellcomeTrust Malaria Alert Centre Lion’s Sight Eye Hospital Malawi College of Medicine Mahatma Campus

26. Blantyre network layout

27. Network Design Actively switched daisy fiber chain was proposed, as opposed to passive fiber Each site has an active node, and requires a switch, a fibre distribution frame and a transceiver for each fibre cable that connects the node Traffic not destined at each switch is relayed to next.

28. Blantyre -Lilongwe Link The ultimate objective is to interconnect the Lilongwe cluster to the Blantyre cluster of high learning institutions with high capacity fibre and – where fibre is not available – high speed wireless links. Staff from ESCOM and UNIMA were to undergo fibre network management- and maintenance training at KTH, Sweden but there are some funding delays

29. Blantyre-Lilongwe Link • Discussions in Progress with Cisco Foundation to assist • KTH has provided technical support with Malawian ICT professionals or MSc students • Norad/Dutch are to fund this phase but with key staff out of the country, there are delays

30. Opportunities

31. Opportunities coming along Access to high speed communication networks will boost research collaboration and exchanges on a national and regional scale Several initiatives to promote distance learning in the last few months. MAREN would like to participate Common document repositories and shared databases Voice and Video over IP Online Healthcare Support System

32. Partnerships

33. Existing Partnerships ESCOM – Fiber (delays need renegotiations) MACRA - harmonious regulatory conditions for academic connectivity MTL to access metro fibre, towers, and ducts CELTEL to access towers for wireless networks MISPA on the Malawi IXP activities and gain peering rights. International Collaboration through UbuntuNet Alliance

34. International Gateway Licence Negotiated at length with MACRA for Licence to operate a national network which will connect Tertiary Education and Research institutions and then connect regionally. MACRA had already been very facilitative in granting MALICO a 5 year academic VSAT licence International Gateway License granted to MAREN to peer with other UbuntuNet Alliance members across borders at the MAREN Launch

36. MAREN Task Force Chair, Ulemu, Minister of Information and DG of MACRA at handover of MAREN IGL!

37. Use MAREN as a test bed for new applications: Video conferencing Knowledge management systems Database management and system integration content management systems CCTV remote monitoring Internal national e-mail system and instant messaging Create virtual teams with communications technology expert Through MAREN, the academic sector will develop graduates who are bandwidth-hungry and will expand the customer base of the commercial sector - we should be viewed as strategic partners. Sustainability

38. Challenges

39. MAREN has currently no employees, and the people involved in its development have many additional academic and national responsibilities There is a critical current shortage of people with expertise in areas such as network engineering (we hope that this is short term until key people return from external studies) Challenges

40. Acknowledgements Professor L Kamwanja and Members of MAREN Task Force.Professor Bjorn Pehrson and the KTH team for expertise.Duncan Greaves and Duncan Martin of TENET for FRENIA Start up Grant.Ministry of Information and Civic Education and MACRA for various types of support

41. ZIKOMO KWAMBIRI!Ulemu Nyasuluunyasulu@chanco.unima.mwMargaret Ngwiramengwira@kcn.unima.mwAnthony Muyepamuyepaa@medcol.mwMALICO:www.malico.mw/maren