The first 100Gb/s link of Ipê network, that connects the Points of Presence of Paraíba and Pernambuco, in Brazil, came into operation last Friday, March 16. The delivery of this first circuit is part of the agreement signed between RNP and Companhia Hidroelétrica do São Francisco (Chesf) for the technological evolution of the national academic network, supported by the company's transmission lines. The infrastructure sharing agreement with Chesf will last 20 years and receive investments from the Northeast Connected Program (Programa Nordeste Conectado) of the Ministry of Education to take broadband ccess for education and research into the interior of Brazil.
(Source: RNP) The announcement was made this Monday (19), by the Minister of Education, Mendonça Filho, in the municipality of Gravatá (PE). On that occasion, Chesf's Operations Director, João Henrique Franklin, highlighted the benefits of cooperation for the academic community. "More than transmitting electricity through our transmission lines and substations, this partnership represents a technological leap for the Northeast and Brazil and shows Chesf's commitment to socioeconomic development and the quality of life of us all", said Franklin.
The first phase of the project, scheduled to be completed in the first semester, includes deliveries of five other backbone links to 100G in the Northeast, on the routes between Fortaleza, Natal, Campina Grande, Recife, Maceió, Aracaju and Salvador. In all, 28 campuses of federal institutions from 19 cities in the interior of the Northeast will benefit directly in this first phase, with speeds starting at 1 Gb/s. By the end of 2019, in a second stage of the project, another 77 cities in the Northeast will be contemplated.
The increase in the capacity of the Ipê network in the Northeast of Brazil also indirectly benefits all the institutions connected to the RNP Presence Points in those states with 100 Gb/s technology. This very high performance capability can be taken to other localities in the interior by the optical network projects undertaken by the state governments, with its own resources and in partnership with RNP, with investments from the Veredas Novas Estaduais Program of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC). The state network of Pernambuco (RePEPE) is already under construction, and the delivery of the first phase is scheduled for June this year.
Also in 2018, the 100 Gb/s backbone project will be extended to other regions of the country, due to the agreements signed with Furnas and Eletrosul. First, it will reach São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and then other routes served by the Southeast ring, which includes nine states (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Federal District, Goiás, Paraná and Tocantins ). By the end of 2019, other 100G links will be operational in the south of the country and in Mato Grosso do Sul, with international connections on the borders with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
In the North region, the expectation is to meet the RNP Presence Points at 100 Gb/s for deliveries of the Amazonian Connected Program, led by the Brazilian Army, which implants fiber optic cables in the Amazon river basin.
