{"id":9270,"date":"2013-03-06T09:10:30","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T14:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=9270"},"modified":"2013-03-06T09:20:07","modified_gmt":"2013-03-06T14:20:07","slug":"caribbean-region-over-connected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2013\/03\/caribbean-region-over-connected\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Caribbean region becoming over-connected?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the Caribbean currently has a comprehensive network of submarine cables, new projects are emerging that still aim to increase connectivity. Is the region at risk of being over-connected?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"C@ribnet<\/a>On February 26, the Caribbean Research and Education Network (C@ribNET) was formally launched in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. C@ribNET, which is a broadband fibre optic network constructed by regional telecoms carrier, LIME, and connects 21 Caribbean\/CARICOM countries, is one of number of initiatives geared toward increasing the region\u2019s connectivity or connectedness. As discussed in our recent post, <\/i>We are more connected than we think<\/i><\/b><\/a>, <\/i>the Caribbean already has several submarine cable systems. Hence are C@ribNET and other similar but\u00a0independent projects, such as CARCIP,just overkill?<\/b><\/p>\n

What is C@ribNet?<\/h3>\n

According to the Caribbean Knowledge Learning Network (CKLN)<\/a>, which manages C@ribNET,<\/p>\n

C@ribNET is a broadband fiber optic network, configured to connect tertiary institutions, hospitals, schools, and CARICOM and other institutions engaged in knowledge development and research, within the Caribbean, and then to connect these institutions to research and education institutions in the rest of the world.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Access to C@ribNET will be via National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) established in each of\u00a0the participating Caribbean\/CARICOM\u00a0countries. The NRENs\u00a0will comprise academic (especially tertiary-level) and other institutions for the purposes of innovation, knowledge creation and sharing, and with the goals of reducing the digital divide and increasing social inclusion.<\/p>\n

With funding from the European Union, C@ribNET comprises a dedicated broadband network that connects all of the\u00a0participating countries, as shown in\u00a0Figure 1. The main backbone connects the Dominican Republic, Florida, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, whilst the rest of the countries are connected\u00a0via \u201cCaribbean Access Nodes\u201d. The entire network is linked\u00a0internationally to the Latin American academic networks, RedCLARA, in Costa Rica, and to its European counterpart, G\u00c9ANT, in Paris.<\/p>\n

\"Figure<\/a>

Figure 1: Topology of C@ibNET (Source: CKLN)<\/p><\/div>\n

Although the C@ribNET infrastructure has been established, the in-country NRENs\u00a0are still being developed, and application and services still being modified for use on that network. Hence it may be\u00a0at least another year before any significant use of C@ribNET is evident.<\/p>\n

What is CARCIP?<\/h3>\n

CARCIP, the Caribbean Regional Communications Infrastructure Program, is a recently launched World Bank-supported project that is being coordinated by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)<\/a>\u00a0in Trinidad and Tobago. The project, which may be\u00a0accessed by all CARICOM\u00a0member countries, and is expected\u00a0to run for more than 5 years, aims to achieve the following:<\/p>\n