1996.5.28+
Draft Proposal: Advanced Network Consortium for Asia-Pacific

Contents

	Executive Summary
	1. Background
	2. Objective
	3. Consortium
		3.1 Formulation
		3.2 Membership
		3.3 Funding
		3.4 Management
		3.5 Technology
		3.6 Network
		3.7 Secretariat
		3.8 Activity
	4. Application Areas and User Communities
	5. Schedule
	6. Remarks
	
Appendix
	A. FAQ
	B. Issue List
	C. Contact List
	D. Network Topology

Executive Summary

This is the proposal to form a consortium to develop advanced networking in
Asia-Pacific.  The Internet is available almost every country in Asia-Pacific
now, and various efforts to develop advanced network technologies are being made
in Asia-Pacific as well as in other continents.  The proposed consortium 
addresses the following issues to build continental infrastructure;

	Continental hubs and backbone
	Broadband intercontinental links
	Continental connectivity
	Advanced applications
	Network technology

The advanced network consortium for Asia-Pacific would be formulated in 1966,
and the network operation starts in 1997.


1. Background

Information infrastructures are being planned and developed around the world
for the global information infrastructure, regional information infrastructures
and national information infrastructures.  Various technologies for the
information infrastructures are being developed and tested.  Major deployment
on the information infrastructures  are being done around the world.

The Internet is one of the most important components of the information
infrastructure, and its prolification in Asia-Pacific as well as the
world-wide is pervasive with over 150 countries are connected to the Internet
now. Its users are over 50 millions around the world, and are growing at the
rate of 50~100%.  To support the rapid growth and new applications such as
WWW and multimedia, we need broadband networks toward gigabit and beyond.

The Internet's structure is centered in USA now with all countries connected
to USA with star topology.  The topology needs to be corrected with hierarchical
global structure with hubs in each continent and broadband intercontinental
links.  Each continent needs its own backbone as well as connectivity in the
continent.  

Cooperation within the continent as well as intercontinental cooperation is
very important to promote the information infrastructure including the Internet.


2. Objective

	Hierarchical global network architecture
		AP Hubs
		Intercontinental Links
		Continental backbone 
	Regional cooperation
		Connectivity and developing country support
		Environment
		Weather
		Public health
		(more)
	Research and Education Community Networking
		Remote seminars and classes
		Remote collaboration
	Advanced networking
		Broadband networking
		Real-time networking
		Testing

3. Consortium

3.1 Formulation

	Start with hubs as nucleus(Japan, Korea,..) linked by 45/155 Mbps.
	Add North American partners(then European collaboration).
	Add additional regional members at T1/E1 and above.
	Add more members possibly with support programs.
	Develop application areas and user communities.
	Upgrade bandwidth as time goes.

3.2 Membership

	Open policy

	Link owners as core members
	PTT, ISP and user's group as additional members

	Domestic coordination committee as appropriate
	Liaison with international organizations

3.3 Funding

	Each link is negotiated by the concerned parties.
	Coordination to handle special cases such as developing country support.
	Membership fees for overhead activities.

3.4 Management

	Board to oversee the consortium
	Secretariat(s)
	Network operation management/coordination
	Technology management
	User group management

3.5 Technology
	
	High speed networking with high performance hubs
	Performance(delay, throughput)
	Optimization(mirroring, backup)
	Application technology
	Management
	Security
	Multi-lingual support

3.6 Network

	Double bandwidths every year(starting at 45/155 Mbps)

	Intracontinental Links --- Hub-1 --- Intercontinental Link(s)
				     |
				     |
	Intracontinental Links --- Hub-2 --- Intercontinental Link(s)
				     |
				     |
				     .
				     .
				     |
	Intracontinental Links --- Hub-n

3.7 Secretariats

	Administration
	Technical Coordination

3.8 Activities
	
	Network(hubs, links) operation coordination
	Working groups
	General assembly

4. Application Areas and User Communities

	Education
	Telecommunications/Information Technology
	Natural Science
	Environment/Weather
	Medical/Public Health
	Information Retrieval(Library, Museum,..)
	Humanity/Arts
	Agriculture

5. Schedule
	
	96.6	Draft Consortium Proposal
	   6~7 	Founding Members
	   8~   Additional Members
	   9	NSF Proposal
	97.1	Networking with Intercontinental Links(N. America, Europe)
	2000~   Giga-class networking