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Increasing Access, Reducing Costs Consolidation and Management of the Bandwidth Consortium
SANDRA ALUOCH
Why increase access?
With increased access universities can:– Provide course and content delivery
(eLearning);– Research and collaboration at national,
regional and within and across continents;– Contribute to building the knowledge
economy;– Access electronic resources;– Academic Management of courses; and– Communication (email, chat etc)
Status of ICT in Africa
Internet in African Universities• Limited bandwidth available at most African
universities
Almost never dedicated, frequent service outages
and very slow speeds
Cost of bandwidth is prohibitively high.
Some universities pay as much as $4.50 per Kbps
per month while some institutions pay as much as
US $36 per Kbps.
Limited access to fiber on the continent
Fiber has had little or no impact on lowering
bandwidth prices on the continent thus does not
provide an immediate viable option
Genesis of the Consortium
Collaborative project funded by the Partnership for
Higher Education in Africa (PHEA), Ford Foundation,
MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller, and Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
Workshop for PHEA funded Universities held in 2002 in
Addis Ababa to address ICT for teaching, learning, and
research.
Bandwidth identified as not only critical but essential.
Milestones
2003• Bandwidth Task Force Secretariat at the University of Dar es
Salaam established.
• Secretariat had representatives from every country with a PHEA University. (Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa)
• Tasked to find out what role the PHEA could play in purchasing cheaper bandwidth from satellite companies.
• Study recommended joint purchase of bandwidth.
2004
PHEA contracted the AVU to conduct site surveys at
PHEA – Determine the type of equipment.– Cost of switching etc– BW requirements per institution
Presented findings to Vice Chancellors of Partnership supported Universities
AVU given the mandate to negotiate and obtain lower bandwidth pricing. Contracted by Partnership for Higher Education in Africa to manage
Bandwidth Consortium.
2005International Competitive Bid for VSAT services
Leasing of one transponder (93 Mbps) Out of 7 bids received, Intelsat emerged as winning bidder.
Milestones continued
Consortium Model VSAT is the only viable solution in the short to medium
term
Made bulk purchase by consolidating demand of universities.
Opted for C-Band vs. Ku Band due to higher availability and larger single beam coverage
Signed a 3 year contract
Provided for option to increase contract amount within 3 year period with same price.
Provided guarantee to satellite company
Ensure that all sites have a VSAT license prior to joining the network
Consortium Network
• About 150 Mbps utilized by sites in the network
• Intelsat DVB platform in Fuchsstadt, Germany
• Connectivity to the internet backbone through Point of Presence (PoP) in London
• Dedicated BW to internet backbone
• Satellite capacity on IS 10-02 @ 359°and [email protected]°
• BW managed by each institution
Intelsat Coverage Maps
IS-903 at 325°EIS-903 at 325°E38/3838/38EH/EHEH/EH
IS-10-02 at 359°EIS-10-02 at 359°E38/3838/38EH/EHEH/EH
AVU Bandwidth Consortium Members
Reducing costs
1997-2001 $ 20 Kbps
2002 $ 13 Kbps
2003 $ 8.90 Kbps
2004 $ 5.0 Kbps
2005 $ 2.35 Kbps
2007 $ 1.5 Kbps
Future ???
Consolidating (aggregating) bandwidth needs can achieve economies of scale, greater bargaining leverage command volume discounts
Double bandwidth purchase with same University budget.
Sharing of knowledge and research.
Benefit from VSAT equipment discounts
Benefits of the Consortium.
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Benefits of price reduction
2005 2007
Growth for GIMPA, Somalia universities and FUT
Double bandwidth purchase with same University budget.
Challenges of forming & managing the Consortium
Drafting a standard contract template for the Consortium
Purchasing equipment from one vendor
Customs and clearance causing undue delays
Integration with existing equipment
Lack of proper/adequate bandwidth management
Local Area Networks redesign and implementation
Payment of bandwidth recurring charges– Every site responsible for paying for its BW
VSAT licensing due to regulatory issues in some countries
Relocation of BWC from AVU to IDRC and Nigeria ICT Forum
Way forward for the Bandwidth Consortium
VSAT still most viable solution in the short to medium term.
Continue negotiating for lower bandwidth pricing andpass discounts to Universities in the network
Expansion of the Consortium will provide for economies of scale, greater bargaining leverage command volume discounts
Maintenance and Sustainability Provide comprehensive technical support for all the centers with VSAT. Provide training on basic VSAT operations and maintenance.
Work with existing Pan-African programs to avoid replication.
How to join the AVU BW Consortium
Complete the application form Determine bandwidth requirements Sign the Bandwidth Agreement Obtain VSAT license/ authorization Quarterly payment prior to installation Purchase VSAT equipment or ensure
existing equipment is compatible with network.
