GÉANT’s revolutionary next-generation network – planned, procured, and being built under the EC-funded GN4-3N Project – was today launched in a dedicated session during the Closing Plenary of TNC22, by Chief Network Operations Officer Bram Peeters who said,
“Today, we stand ready to introduce a stronger, wider-reaching, and more sustainable research and education network. I’m incredibly proud of how such a diverse group of people, from all corners of Europe, have come together to collaborate in order to make this happen.”
Warm thanks were given to the European Commission, the core project team, the implementation team, the architecture and procurement teams, to the Network Infrastructure Advisory Committee (NIAC), and to the community, because this has been a truly joint effort. And to our range of suppliers who have worked tirelessly to ensure progress has continued strongly, despite global challenges such as COVID and a semiconductor shortage.
Bram also highlighted how careful procurement savings had led to a significantly increased ambition for the project, with an additional eight countries being connected to the fibre/spectrum infrastructure compared to the original project proposal.
Boasting 19,000km of fibre and 11,000km of spectrum (with 7,000km of the total coming from NRENs) this is a network fit for the next generation – and which includes lower operating costs and substantial improvements in energy consumption – to support European research and education long into the future.
Together with Chair of the GÉANT Board Andreas Dudler and GÉANT CEO Erik Huizer, Bram launched the new network with the press of a ‘big red button’ to signify the start of the movement of data across the network.
You can read more about the GN4-3N Project in the latest CONNECT magazine, including interviews with Senior Network Architect Sebastiano Buscaglione and Programme Manager Paul Shelswell.
To learn more about GÉANT’s network and global connectivity, visit https://network.geant.org/
