The Works of DANTE - Issue 4

DANTE issues tender for connectivity to India

DANTE recently announced a tender for connectivity between the Indian research network ERNET and the GÉANT2 backbone network. 26 expressions of interest were received and these parties have now been sent further tender details.

ERNET has made a significant contribution to the emergence of networking in India. Today ERNET is the largest nationwide terrestrial and satellite network, with points of presence located in research and education institutes across the country. ERNET’s mission is to provide a complete networking solution. In addition to providing connectivity they also aim to meet the entire needs of their customers by hosting and providing relevant information and services to their users. Research and Development and training are all important parts of ERNET activities.

ERNET was founded in 1986 by the Department of Electronics (DoE), with funding support from the Government of India and the United Nations Development Program. At that time it also involved eight premier institutions: National Centre for Software Technology (NCTS), Bombay; Indian Institute of Science (IIsc), Bangalore; the DoE at New Delhi and five IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) at Delhi, Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras.

To learn more about ERNET visit their homepage at www.eis.ernet.in. Look out for further news on connectivity to India in future newsletters and on the DANTE website.