03/01/2008

The Greek National Research and Education Network (GRNET) recently launched the next generation network GRNET3, which will be realised as part of the Operational Programme ?Information Society?, in order to provide advanced internet services to cater for the needs of the academic and research communities of Greece.

This new network uses fibre optic cables to connect all the country?s academic and research institutions to each other and to the corresponding networks worldwide. The GRNET3 broadband network, which has a practically limitless capacity, is able to provide broadband internet access to 500,000 members of the educational community (school pupils, students, teaching staff, HE staff, researchers etc).

GRNET3 is a national infrastructure available to the academic and research community, and is comparable and equivalently connected to the corresponding infrastructures of leading countries worldwide. It covers 7,000 kilometres of fibre optics, connects 90 research and educational organisations, and enables data to be transferred at super high speeds (multiple wavelengths of 10 Gbps).

The GRNET3 network moves GRNET2 up to the next stage. It signals the transition from the model of leasing telecommunication circuits, to the long-term leasing of fibre optic cables of a total length of 7,000 kilometres. This will be exclusively used by the private optic transmission equipment of GRNET, providing wider geographical coverage. By procuring and using the appropriate optical equipment, GRNET3 makes data transfer possible at very high speeds (up to 16 wavelengths of 10 Gbps initially), enabling the unlimited use of a wide range of advanced network applications, such as e-learning, e-conferences and multimedia communication in real time, facilitating the everyday activities of Greek research and educational institutes. At the same time, the network will support e-science applications and GRIDs.

GRNET3, the first real broadband network in Greece, has been designed in accordance with the definition of a broadband network infrastructure, so as to:

- enable the distributed development of existing and future network applications and information technology services;
- give users uninterrupted connection to these services;
- fulfil the needs of every application as regards bandwidth, interactivity and availability;
- constantly upgrade at only minimal additional cost, so as to follow the developments in the IT and telecommunications sectors.

GRNET3 has been in operation since December 2007, when optical switching equipment was installed on the first 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables already acquired by GRNET. This was immediately followed by the realisation of the Athens and Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area Networks. These connect all the large research and educational institutions via fibre optic cables, as well as by extensions to the trunk networks in smaller cities in the region.

All the above-mentioned infrastructure is efficiently tied in to the corresponding European networks through the pan-European research and education network, GEANT2. In its current phase, the connection between the GRNET trunk network and GEANT2 is 20 Gbps (2x10 Gbps). It is predicted that this connection will be switched over to a leased fibre optic line with private equipment during 2008, so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of the GRNET3 and GEANT2 networks. GEANT2 is a gigantic hybrid network, as regards its capacity and geographical coverage, a model followed by many corresponding advanced next generation internet networks in the USA, Canada and Japan.

In addition to fulfilling internet connection requirements, GRNET3 also provides a circuit switching service to institutions on the Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion circuit. Therefore, GRNET3 is the first cutting-edge technology hybrid network to support high-capacity circuit switching for e-science applications, at the same time as packet switching for conventional internet use. It is also an advanced network that facilitates experimentation in all network technologies that are expected to be developed in the coming years.

The GRNET3 presentation, which was held recently in Athens, was attended by the Minister for Transport and Communications, Kostas Hatzidakis, who referred to the contribution broadband has made to Greek society, and more specifically to GRNET's role in research and the education of the country. Also present was the General Secretary of Research and Technology, Ioannis Tsoukalas, who, as head of the supervisory body GRNET, referred to its decisive role in the course of integrating the Greek Research and Educational communities into the international information society.

During the presentation there was also a demonstration of the abilities of the network, via a high resolution video conference connecting GRNET institutions from Greece and abroad.

Source: GRNET