UbuntuNet Alliance
Encyclopedia
UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking (also known as UbuntuNet Alliance) is the regional Research and Education Network of Eastern and Southern Africa. It was founded in the later half of 2005 by established and emerging NRENs in Kenya
, Malawi
, Rwanda
, Mozambique
and South Africa
with the vision of securing high speed connectivity, mainly optical fibre-based, for the research and education community - at affordable prices - that connect African NRENs to each other, to other NRENs worldwide and to the Internet generally. It was incorporated in 2006 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the Trade Registrar of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry as a non-for-profit association of National Research and Education Network
s (NRENs).
Today, the UbuntuNet Alliance community includes 13 NRENs in East and Southern Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia, all the way to South Africa, covering a huge land mass of the continent.
The Alliance has a close relationship with the Association of African Universities
, which appoints the Chairperson. The incumbent Chairperson is Professor Zimani Kadzamira
former Vice chancellor of the University of Malawi who was appointed in February 2007. His term was renewed towards the end of 2009.
UbuntuNet Alliance intends to build UbuntuNet fibre backbone network which will interconnect NRENs in Africa and connect them to the global research and education networking community through GÉANT, the European regional network.
UbuntuNet East will interconnect NRENs in Burundi, Djibouti, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and will connect to the global REN community through the submarine fibres landing at points along the eastern coast of Africa. UbuntuNet South will interconnect NRENs in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania, and will connect to the global REN community through submarine fibres landing at points along the south-eastern, southern, and south-western coast of Africe. Ultimately, these sub-backbones will inter-connect into a seamless sub-regional research and education network.
, Internet2
, APAN (Asia-Pacific Advanced Network) and CLARA
(Cooperación Latino Americana de Redes Avanzandas).
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
with the vision of securing high speed connectivity, mainly optical fibre-based, for the research and education community - at affordable prices - that connect African NRENs to each other, to other NRENs worldwide and to the Internet generally. It was incorporated in 2006 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the Trade Registrar of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry as a non-for-profit association of National Research and Education Network
National Research and Education Network
A National Research and Education Network is a specialised internet service provider dedicated to supporting the needs of the research and education communities within a country....
s (NRENs).
Today, the UbuntuNet Alliance community includes 13 NRENs in East and Southern Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia, all the way to South Africa, covering a huge land mass of the continent.
The Alliance has a close relationship with the Association of African Universities
Association of African Universities
The Association of African Universities was established in 1967 to facilitate co-operation between its members and with the international academic community. It is based in Accra, Ghana...
, which appoints the Chairperson. The incumbent Chairperson is Professor Zimani Kadzamira
Zimani Kadzamira
Zimani David Kadzamira is a Malawian academic, civil servant and diplomat. He was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malawi until 2009.-Early life and education:...
former Vice chancellor of the University of Malawi who was appointed in February 2007. His term was renewed towards the end of 2009.
Vision, Mission, and Strategic Priorities
The societal vision of the UbuntuNet Alliance is that of vibrant African research and education institutions, networking effectively in the global knowledge society. The mission of UbuntuNet Alliance is to ensure that African NRENs have efficient and affordable bandwidth for their member research and education institutions that enables them to participate in the global research and education networking community. The UbuntuNet Alliance aims to achieve this through strategic priorities that include the development and capacity building of NRENs in all countries in Eastern and Southern Africa; ensuring that NRENs get access to affordable high speed connectivity by lobbying for improved national policy and regulatory environments; stimulating and supporting content networks; and making the UbuntuNet Alliance financially sustainable.UbuntuNet Alliance intends to build UbuntuNet fibre backbone network which will interconnect NRENs in Africa and connect them to the global research and education networking community through GÉANT, the European regional network.
UbuntuNet Clusters
UbuntuNet Alliance adopted an opportunistic approach that seeks to build the fibre network based on the potential for broadband terrestrial connectivity that exists or is emerging in the region. Two initial backbone development clusters were defined as UbuntuNet East and UbuntuNet South. These clusters are based purely on geographic convenience, taking into account the ease of interconnection.UbuntuNet East will interconnect NRENs in Burundi, Djibouti, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, and will connect to the global REN community through the submarine fibres landing at points along the eastern coast of Africa. UbuntuNet South will interconnect NRENs in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania, and will connect to the global REN community through submarine fibres landing at points along the south-eastern, southern, and south-western coast of Africe. Ultimately, these sub-backbones will inter-connect into a seamless sub-regional research and education network.
Membership
Membership to UbuntuNet Alliance is open to all bona fide African NRENs serving research and education institutions. A list of members is on UbuntuNet Alliance , website.Similar Organisations
Similar organisations elsewhere in the world include GÉANTGEANT
GÉANT is the main European multi-gigabit computer network for research and education purposes...
, Internet2
Internet2
Internet2 is an advanced not-for-profit US networking consortium led by members from the research and education communities, industry, and government....
, APAN (Asia-Pacific Advanced Network) and CLARA
Clara
Clara is a town on the River Brosna in County Offaly and is the 10th largest town in the midlands of Ireland. The town has a population of 3001 , however a number of well populated housing estates lie outside the town boundary making the actual population higher...
(Cooperación Latino Americana de Redes Avanzandas).