INDUSTRY

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA -- An advanced network project that will lead Australia into the next generation of Internet services has been announced by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston. The GrangeNet Advanced Networks Project, which received $14 million under the Federal Government’s Building on IT Strengths Advanced Networks Program, is a testbed for the deployment and application of advanced communications and grid services. The GrangeNet project demonstrates Australia’s capability to install leading technologies for broadband communications which will result in a very substantial strengthening of Australia’s participation in the international research community by any discipline. The three-year project will provide a broadband backbone based on Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology initially linking more than 20 organisations in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. The members of the GrangeNet consortium are AARNet, Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing (APAC), DSTC Pty Ltd, Cisco and PowerTel. Participants in the GrangeNet program include AARNet members, APAC partners and a number of research and commercial organisations. GrangeNet will be part of the global research and education network through AARNet’s access to the Southern Cross Cable Network. Seven organisations responsible for advanced computing and communications programs in Asia and North America (including Internet2, Canarie and APAN) will be collaborating with GrangeNet. GrangeNet will support a number of user communities in research and industry including bio-informatics, chemistry, astronomy, online health, environmental modelling, distance education and media services. The installation of the GrangeNet network will be completed by early 2003. Further information about GrangeNet is available online from www.grangenet.net. The Government’s $39 million BITS Advanced Network Program supports the development, trialing, and demonstration of advanced networks and test beds that will deliver long term benefits to the Australian economy. GRANGENET Consortium Members The Consortium Members and the role of each Consortium Member are as follows: AARNet Pty Ltd AARNet will provide and manage the links to the international advanced networks and the AARNet points-of-presence (POPs). It will host the GrangeNet Network Operations Centre and contribute to the development of advanced communications services. The Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing APAC will facilitate the development of the advanced computing infrastructure for GrangeNet and the delivery of grid and advanced communications services to users of GrangeNet. DSTC Pty Ltd DSTC will demonstrate, trial and evaluate a range of middleware software in support of grid and advanced communications services on GrangeNet. Cisco Systems Australia Pty Ltd Cisco will provide equipment and software to support the GrangeNet network. PowerTel Ltd PowerTel will provide the dual 2.5Gbps DWDM service for the GrangeNet network.