A fricaConnect2 is the successor project of AfricaConnect which deployed high-speed connections throughout Eastern and Southern Africa between 2011 and 2014, thus significantly contributing to the UbuntuNet network. Thanks to its interconnection with the European network GÉANT, it helped create a regional gateway for collaborative research.
Implementing the UbuntuNet network meant establishing points of presence in major cities in the region and interconnecting them with broadband cross-border links. Historically, all intra-regional traffic had to travel via routers in London and Amsterdam - incurring delays and additional costs. Scientists, researchers and students in Sub-Saharan Africa are now connected directly, able to share data quickly and collaborate more efficiently.
Looking beyond the routers, switches and fibre cables, the secret to a successful network and project is people. The UbuntuNet Alliance has created a close-knit community, with a pool of well-trained engineers who efficiently manage their networks and support their users across the region.
AfricaConnect2 also builds on the achievements of the EUMEDCONNECT project. Co-funded by the EC, EUMEDCONNECT – now in its third phase – has provided a high-capacity dedicated internet network for the research and education communities across the southern and eastern Mediterranean region since 2004. The North African project partners will now migrate into the pan-African programme, benefiting from a higher EC co-funding share.
AfricaConnect2 sets out to extend the success story initiated by AfricaConnect and EUMEDCONNECT to the whole African continent, thus accelerating the development of an inclusive Information Society in Africa.
| Contexte |