International Circuit Linked to GEANT Research and Education Network

International Circuit Linked to GEANT Research and Education Network

Posted on: 13 Dec, 2023

AMMAN - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Arab States Research and Education (ASREN), announced the development of an international circuit with a capacity of 155 Mbps from Jordan to connect to GEANT Research and Education Network in the context of the EUMEDCONNECT3 project. The circuit serves as a backbone to connect the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) as well as educational and research institutions in Jordan. 

On 14 April, 2016, an agreement has been signed between HE Dr. Khaled Toukan, Director General of the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME); HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of ASREN and HE Mr. Jérôme Hénique, Orange Jordan CEO. The purpose of the agreement is to provide an international connectivity service between the new SESAME center in Allan and the European Network for Research and Education in London; with the goal of sharing global research and computational resources.

HE Toukan stated, “Specialized connectivity for research and education networks in Jordan strongly supports national researchers, and facilitates the process of sending data to and from international research centers. Providing research centers such as SESAME, which will be launched in 2017, with integrated technical communication services is an important step, as it enables researchers to more efficiently share the data that they obtain from their research.”

HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh highlighted the importance of connectivity on both the local and global levels in the fields of research and education, as it enables seamless access to resources and repositories as well as communication between researchers in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh added: “This agreement comes as part of the European Union’s support of the link between the Euro-Mediterranean and African projects, in which the organization works on providing specialized communication for academic research and education between Arab countries and European and international networks.”

HE Hénique, expressed his pride in this strategic partnership, as it will lead to great strides in the fields of research and learning. Hénique reaffirmed Orange Jordan’s dedication to supporting all segments of the economy in order to enhance its business and company position, which, through modern technology, will contribute to the development of and transformation to a knowledge-based economy supported by Orange’s strong local and international networks. Initial ideas for the partnership came from one of the main drivers of Essentials 2020, which is accompanying the transformation of Orange Jordan’s enterprise customers, further connecting them to all that is essential to them using well-studied enterprise solutions and applying years of experience in responding to its corporate customers.

Chief Enterprise Officer of Orange Jordan, Sami Smeirat, added that Orange Jordan will be providing a high-capacity STM1 connection line at a speed of 155 Megabytes that will reach from Talal Abu-Ghazaleh’s office in Amman to ASREN in London. This line will facilitate communication among European, American, and other international networks. The high-capacity connection is one of the most recent technologies available, and Orange Jordan will be exercising its expertise in providing this technology to SESAME.

David West, Project Manager of the Euro-Mediterranean connectivity project from GÉANT, the Institute for European Research and Education Network which is supporting ASREN in this initiative, said, “We realize that specialized technical connectivity for SESAME is crucial, as it serves to connect European research and education networks with other networks worldwide. A more connected world of research will provide more opportunities for students and researchers alike to engage with their peers around the world and to reach advanced research and educational resources.”

This international connectivity serves as an opportunity for regional research and educational institutions to benefit from specialized networks without the use of traditional commercial Internet networks.