The Virtual Silk Highway -- Connectivity for Central Asia and the Caucasus

COFFEE_KLATCH · Invited

Abstract

This presentation focuses on Internet for research and education communities in the countries along the Great Silk Road, eight republics of the Former Soviet Union (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) and Afghanistan. When the Internet became a standard science tool in the nineties, connectivity to this area was limited to analog telephone lines. The TAE fiber was installed from Istanbul via Tashkent to Shanghai, but it was based on international ISDN telephone calls at \$10 per minute, unaffordable to communities with salaries of \$300 per month. Satellites offered connectivity on short notice at better prices but funding by the communities was out of the question. Aid programs stepped in, connecting individual institutes across the area to the outside world. ISPs catered to those who could afford it, such as universities selling MBA courses, but Internet for research and education was lacking. In 2001, the NATO Science Programme added to its grants to institutes a multi-year program of providing a shared satellite service for international connectivity to all the countries above. National connectivity and solving the ``last mile problem'' was also funded, provided that a National Research and Education Network (NREN) organization was created in the country. SILK-1 ran 2002-6 for \$3.5m providing 30Mbps west$\rightarrow$east and 6Mbps east$\rightarrow$west. QOS was implemented for video and audio conferencing. Co-funding by NRENs and others was established, but sustainability is still outstanding. Only recently, affordable fiber ($<$\$1k/month for 1 Mbps) is offered in parts of the area, so the RFP of SILK-2 in 2006 was issued in a technology-neutral way. No fiber bids were received, but a cheaper satellite service providing a total of 120/30Mbps for \$3.5m in 2007-8. With fiber initiatives under way, it is hoped that part of SILK-2 can switch to fiber in 2009.

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Authors

  • Gerald Gabrielse

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Michigan State University, University of Maryland, Colorado School of Mines, ORAU, Tennessee Tech., University of Tennessee, ORNL, Rutgers University, Surrey, Rutgers, IFJ PAN Krakow, Rutgers, CSM, U. Tenn., Ohio U., Tenn. Tech. U., Tenn. Tech., Oak Ridge Assoc. U., Col. School of Mines, UNC - Chapel Hill, U. of Tenn., Oak Ridge Nat. Lab., Labratori Nazionali del Sud-INFN, Catania, Italy, Cyclotron Institute, Texas A\&M University, Dept. of Physics, Florida State University, U. North Carolina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, University of Texas, Lancaster University, Northwestern University, University of California, Riverside, Indiana University, Helmholtz Inst., Univ. Bonn, D-53115 Bonn, Forschungszentrum Juelich, IKP, D-52425 Juelich, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1120, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ursinus College, Pennsylvania, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, Michigan, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University, Univ of Oslo, Mississippi St Univ, Univ. of Massachusetts-Lowell, Niels Bohr Institute, Univ of Tennessee, Argonne National Lab, Florida St Univ, US Naval Academy, A.F. Ioffe Phys. Techn. Inst., 198904 St. Petersburg, Russia, IKP, 52425 Julich, Germany; iThemba Labs, South Africa, JIHIR, Univ. of Tennessee, UNIRIB, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (supported by U.S. DOE contract \# DE-AC05-00OR22725), University of Edinburgh, Argonne National Laboratory, Department of Physics and Astronomy and National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, Department of Chemistry, and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, Forschungszentrum Julich, IUSB, Hope College, Concordia College, NSCL/MSU, FSU, INP, Rez, Czech republic, Texas A\&M University, Yale University, University of North Carolina, Kyushu University, Japan, Michigan State University, USA, RCNP, Osaka, Japan, WITS, University of South Africa, Osaka University, Japan, KVI, Groningen, The Netherlands, University of Notre Dame, USA, Imperial College, Radboud University Nijmegen, LPNHE, Paris Universities VI and VII, Freiburg University, University of Michigan, University of Washington, McGill University, Brown University, Boston University, LLNL, LBNL, NSCL, MSU, NSCL \& Dept. of Chemistry, MSU, East Lansing, Dept. of Physics, FSU, Tallahassee, NSCL/Michigan State University, The Australian National University, Australian National University, Washington University, Lund University, University of Kentucky, Colorado State University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, MPA, Germany, LSU, AEI, Germany, University of Southampton, UK, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Department of Physics, Florida Atlantic University, Pennsylvania State University, Andrews University, Department of Physics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, PMB 2002, Ago - Iwoye, Nigeria, University of Rochester, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Observatoire de Strasbourg, Ohio University, Anglo-Australian Observatory, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, MIT, M.I.T., PPPL, University of Kansas, Div. of General Education, Namseoul University, Dept. of Advanced Materials, Sunmoon University, Dept. of Computer and Applied Physics, Hanseo University, Texas A\&M University, Commerce, TUNL, University of South Dakota, LANL, Florida State University, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Columbia University, Defense Trade Controls Policy, U.S. Department of State, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, Hamburg, Germany, Case Western Reserve University, American Physical Society and City College of New York, Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universita Federico II, Napoli and INFN, Napoli, Italy, Experimentalphysik III, Ruhr Universit\&#034;at Bochum, Germany, University of Connecticut, Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), Romania, Fakult\&#034;at f\&#034;ur Physik und Astronomie, Ruhr Universit\&#034;at Bochum, Germany, Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing, China, Experimentalphysik III, Ruhr Universit\&#034;{a}t Bochum, Germany, U. of Kostanz, McMaster U., Simon Fraser U., TRIUMF, University of Notre Dame, Yale, York, IFIN-HH, Bucharest, Romania, Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, Tx 76203, Depertment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 607 Charles E Young Dr, UCLA, Los Angeles, Ca 90095, CBH Technologies, 4727 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90010, Iowa State University, UCLA, Washington Univ., Iowa State Univ., National Knowledge Commission of India, Centre for Policy Research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Stanford University, Lockheed-Martin Corp, NVI, Inc./NASA GSFC, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, York University, Observatoire de Paris, Erskine College, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, NIKHEF, State University of New York, Stony Brook, University of Florida, Harvard University, UC San Diego, Northwest Analysis, Apache Point Observatory, Humboldt State University, Purdue University, Saint Joseph&#039;s College, University of Aarhus, Denmark, M. I. T., Department of Physics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mississippi State University, IEP Warsaw University, IFGA, University of Milan and INFN, Vanderbilt University, Louisianna State, Warsaw University, UNIRIB/ORAU, U. of Tennessee, Mississippi State, Florida State Unversity, Flordia State University, The University of Surrey, Ivan Allen College, Georgia Institute of Technology, NPR Radio, Temple U/JLAB, U Saskatchewan, U Cyprus, U Virginia, Canadian Light Source, LPSC Grenoble, University of Texas at Dallas, The Ohio State University, INFN Ferrara, University of Oregon, Bruy\`{e}res-le-Ch\^{a}tel, T.U.Munchen, Maryland University, Miss State University, Vanderbilt, University of Liverpool, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Tennessee Tech University, University of Oslo, University of Massachusetts, The Niels Bohr Institute, U.S. Naval Academy, CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory, United States Naval Academy, Cornell University, JLAB, Johns Hopkins University, Royal Holloway University of London, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of Rome, La Sapienza, University of California at Irvine, University of Perugia, INFN Milano, INTEGRAL Science Data Centre, NASA/GSFC, MPE, Garching, Germany, Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ, USA, Centre d&#039;Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, Toulouse, France, Undersecretary for Science, Department of Energy, WNSL, Yale University, University of Surrey, UK and WNSL, Yale University, University of Paris VI and VII, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jefferson Lab, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Duke University, LLNL, Univ. of Notre Dame, Univ. of Notre Dame, Union College, Algarve University, National Science Foundation, California Institution of Technology, Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, Transformational R\&D Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, IFGA - University of Milan and INFN, NCSU, VT, ISU, CEA-Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA/SPhN, NGCSU \& TUNL, Sandia National Lab, Duke U. \& TUNL, Fermilab, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, ICRANet and Dipartimento di Fisica - Universit\`a di Roma ``La Sapienza&#039;&#039;, Ursinus College, Purdue University Calumet, GSI, Ohio Wesleyan University, University of Cincinnati, Universidad de Antioquia, ICRA and Dipartimento di Fisica - Universit\`a di Roma ``La Sapienza&#039;&#039;, Facolt\`a di Ingegneria, Universit\`a Campus Bio-Medico, and ICRA, Facolt\`a di Ingegneria, Universit\`a Campus Bio - Medico, Istituto per le Applicazioni del Calcolo ``M. Picone&#039;&#039;, CNR, and ICRA, JPL, Pasadena, CA, 91109, NASA/GSFC Greenbelt, MD 20771, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, The Pennsylvania State University