PROJECT N° 2
Global Interoperability for Broadband Networks
Status Report - April 1996 Introduction
Ministers at the G7 Conference on the Information Society acknowledged the complexity of advanced communications and information technology networks around the world, and thus agreed on the need to promote the establishment of global interconnection of national broadband research networks and testbeds to provide the basic infrastructure for information society applications.
The Global Interoperability for Broadband Networks (GIBN) project will promote the establishment of international links among existing networks of the G7 and other industrialized countries, and thus provide an opportunity to experiment on interconnectivity and interoperability, as well as to promote rapid development of global standards and encourage the development of new applications that exploit broadband networks. The project will be undertaken in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner on a research and pre-commercial basis. Canada, together with Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan, co-lead for the implementation of the GIBN project.
Objectives
GIBN's main objective is to provide a common basis for the promotion of joint R&D, demonstrations and pre-commercial trials of advanced high-speed services and applications, through existing mechanisms that are available nationally and internationally. One goal is to establish experimental intercontinental links by 1997 among the three main geographic areas of the G7 countries : North America, Europe and Japan.
The GIBN project will encourage initiatives promoting education and research, as well as economic, social and cultural development. Primary focus will be through the ten other pilot project themes established at the G7 Ministerial Conference in February 1995 and the research networks of the G7 countries. Specific applications in these project areas will be identified along with the required networks. Priority will be given to applications with attractive user potential in order to achieve a critical mass as quickly as possible.
Current Status
The GIBN steering committee has met three times since this pilot project was established by Ministers at Brussels. The first meeting took place on April 11, 1995 where planning for this project was initiated. An important conclusion from this meeting was that the participation and support of international carriers was key to forwarding the objectives of GIBN. A progress report was produced for Leaders at the Halifax Summit.
The second meeting took place on September 19-20, 1995. It included a meeting with international carriers which included KDD, ATT, MCI, Sprint, Teleglobe, Stentor, Unitel, BT, Deutsche Telekom, France Télécom, and Italia Telecom. The carriers expressed willingness to assist in accelerating the interconnection of national testbeds and research networks and to support application projects. Several offered intercontinental links subject to further details being worked out.
A subsequent meeting with carriers was held January 23, 1996 in Paris, followed by a teleconference of the GIBN Steering Committed on March 8, 1996.
Three working groups were established to develop guidelines and policies in responses to carriers concerns. These working groups included :
- Working Group on Guidelines for Carrier Participation, led by the UK
- Working Group on Authorized Use Policy (AUP), led by USA
- Working Group on Technical and Operational Issues (Applications List), led by Japan
Two scenarios for the GIBN interconnection and applications development were developed :
Scenario A
A relatively small number of applications are selected. The sites in each country involved in the applications are connected up by international broadband links. The applications are developed and demonstrated and the broadband links are then discontinued.
Under this scenario, there will be a limited range of predetermined "demonstrations". The participation of international carriers as partners with free offering of intercontinental links is essential. This implies relative short timescale (months).
Scenario B
The existing or planned national broadband research networks and testbeds in each country are interconnected via international broadband links to create an extensive international broadband network. Many sites will be automatically connected without special provision creating a large ready-made user population. Additional sites can be connected where appropriate. A large number of applications may also be discovered. The GIBN, carriers, etc, can highlight particular applications as showcase examples of the use of international broadband.
Under this scenario, facilities must be provided for a sustained period (3 years minimum). Some funding from the government/user side will be necessary. Support and contribution from carriers will also be essential. An agreed upon Authorized Use Policy (AUP) is very important because it concerns the interconnecting of large general purpose networks and the carriers'commercial interests and regulatory constraints must be recognised and protected.
It was generally agreed that Scenario A, based on the current offers of intercontinental links by the international carriers, should be pursued immediately, while at the same time options and approaches for Scenario B should be explored to achieve the longer term objective of GIBN.
An Authorized Uses Policy (AUP) has been drafted, and is consistent with an applications support scenario A (described above) and can be modified to complement scenario B.
The carriers made a number of offers in support of the GIBN objectives. Teleglobe confirmed that a high-capacity link (155 mbps) of its CANTAT-3 trans-Atlantic cable was available to support GIBN application trials and that since the Brussels Conference a year ago numerous transatlantic demonstrations and several project have been started.
AT&T and KDD proposed to provide a 155 Mbit link between Japan and USA for a period of 9 months, starting in the second quarter of 1996 and would support 4 specific application trials for 6 mouths each. 24 hour availability would be provided.
A group of carriers comprising Sprint, Teleglobe, Deutsche Telekom, France Télécom ad Telecom Italia proposed to provide a trans-Atlantic network using two undersea fibre optic cables involving Canada, France, Germany and USA. The consortium would provide project and network management, and would offer the network for trial applications at reduced rates.
France Télécom reported that the European ATM Pilot has been completed and that the follow-on JAMES project, being funded partially by the EU ACTS Programme, could potentially provide intra-European connectivity.
BT indicated that it would consider providing access to an ATM-based transatlantic link which is being developed in partnership with MCI by mid-1996. They would consider providing access to this service for GIBN applications, for example providing links between SuperJanet and vBNS.
Mercury presently has a trial service to USA and the Mercury representative will encourage management to involve Mercury in GIBN application projects.
The USA GIBN representative is encouraging the establishment of a TAP (Testbed Access Point) in Chicago and will encourage AT&T and Sprint to extend their respective networks to Chicago so that complete G7 connectivity within the USA and between the continents will be possible.
The use of satellites, such as ACTS, ESA and Intelsat, offers an alternative means of providing intercontinental broadband links. In support of GIBN the USA (NASA), Japan (MPT) and Canada (CRC) are preparing high data rate trials using Intelsat and ACTS satellite links from Japan to North America. Japan and Europe are investigating the potential of satellite based trials.
It was recognized that the development, demonstration and testing of new applications are an important aspect of GIBN and that they should also receive the priority attention of the Steering Committee. It was recognized that the GIBN network could support the advanced applications of the other G7 Pilot Projects and that coordination with the other G7 Pilot Projects should be initiated soon. Furthermore, other applications outside of these pilots should be explored. Some of the applications currently being experimented in the national testbeds could be candidates for GIBN.
It was noted that a public commitment was made by G7 ministers for participation of non-G7 countries in the Pilot Projects and that many enquiries with some serious expressions of interests having been received. A draft guidelines for participation of Non-G7 countries was discussed and several changes suggested.
It was agreed that while GIBN's mandate is not to set standards, it would be beneficial to keep appropriate standards bodies informed of its work and collaborate on protocol and standards related issues where appropriate.
Consistent with the decision to move forward the GIBN project based on the current offers from the carriers (Scenario A), it was suggested that the South Africa Ministerial Conference on Information Society and Development, scheduled for May 13-15, offers an excellent opportunity to officially launch the proposed interconnections and applications. It will provide not only an opportunity to publicize the project, thus encouraging applications and testing, but more importantly, to publicize the support of the contributing carriers.
A Web site (the NEW URL is http://enterprise.ic.gc.ca/G7) had been established as a means to provide information on G7 Pilot Projects (including coordinates of Committee representatives) on the occasion of the G7 Halilfax Summit and the site has been well accessed. The site is being maintained current by Canada.
Interest in global partnering has been so great that more than 100 joint projects have been proposed to the carriers and the G7 Global Interoperability of Broadband Network Project Committee. From this list early candidates for interconnection will be assessed giving preference to those which can be immediately implemented and which address network interoperability testing or one of the 11 themes that Ministers identified at the Brussels Conference as being of common global economic and social interest. For example projects related to advanced telemedecine, distance education, industrial and research broadband applications will be supported. A balanced selection of projects from all G7 countries will be made.
Carriers will consider supporting projects meeting the above criteria and respond by June 30th, 1996.