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KIWI ADVANCED RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK
National Education Network
From KAREN wiki
Contents |
National Education Network Phase 3: Trial Extension 2010-2011
REANNZ has begun work on extending the NEN trial from the existing 23 schools up to 200 schools. The extended trial will run until at least June 2011 and will provide schools with very fast, unrestricted broadband at 100Mb/s or greater. The target schools for this phase of the trial are those that currently have open-access fibre connectivity (through regional cluster networks or local loops) or that will have access through the Government broadband roll-out (led by Crown Fibre Holdings and the Ministry of Economic Development).
The NEN trial extension is paid for by the Government and the Ministry of Education, and is part of a range of initiatives to bring ultra-fast broadband to schools. The Ministry of Education has provided information on the Broadband in Schools Programme in the 7 December 2009 edition of the Education Gazette.
If you have any ideas or questions about the NEN we encourage you to add them to the NEN Discussion Page (or click on the Discussion tab above). Visit our Help page to get a wiki account.
What is the National Education Network
Improved learning is the focus of the National Education Network (NEN), based on the underlying principles of participation, engagement, content creation and sharing. The NEN comprises four inter-dependent dimensions, each of which can be characterised by an "i" word - interconnection, information, innovation and interaction.
- Interconnection is the physical and logical network that connects schools with each other and to local, national and international communities using ultra-fast broadband (100Mbps+) using optical fibre networks wherever possible. The NEN uses KAREN as its national and international backbone;
- Information is the content carried on the network; the symmetrical bandwidth of the network makes it possible for every connected school to create as much information as it receives. This is a transformative dimension that contrasts strongly with earlier one-way broadcast technologies and even today's Internet where users typically receive much more information than they create; the asymmetrical nature of most internet services today perpetuates this imbalance;
- Innovation is the outcome that results from digitally skilled, literate teachers and students who are confident in exploring the learning opportunities presented by the new digital technologies; and
- Interaction encourages teachers and students to actively engage on the network by collaborating and sharing knowledge with each other.
REANNZ's role is to deliver the Interconnection layer
Status
Monthly Reports
February 2010 REANNZ Monthly Report (link to come)
January 2010 REANNZ Monthly Report (link to come)
Formal website / content links
National Education Network page on the KAREN website
Ministry of Education (link to come)
Current timetable
We are currently refining expected delivery dates and will post an update as soon as this is available.
Content and services on the NEN
KAREN is a super fast broadband pipe. The interconnection element of the NEN (which sits ontop of KAREN) does not directly provide content and services. However, once connected to the NEN, you can access quickly and with no data charges content and services from suppliers and other organisations that are connected to KAREN.
The Ministry of Education is leading work to select a number of Content and Service Partners to connect to the NEN Trial Extension. REANNZ will manage the connectivity of these chosen partners.
Check out and add to the ever increasing list of content available via KAREN:
KAREN Content and Service Partners
Presentations, reports and communications
| Presentations | Reports | Comms/Media | Previous NEN phases |
|---|---|---|---|
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We suggest you take a look at the reports and supporting information from the earlier phases of the trial to get a sense of the architecture we will be pursuing:
If you have any ideas or questions about the NEN we encourage you to add them to the NEN Discussion Page (or click on the Discussion tab above). Visit our Help page to get a wiki account.
International experience
The UK's National Education Network
Article on the success of Internet2's K12 initiative
School participation in Australia's National Science week
Frequently Asked Questions
Participants in this wiki are encouraged to ask questions and we are confident that the wisdom of the community will generate robust answers.
Why do you need fibre links between schools?
Fibre optic cable provides the bandwidth that schools require now and in the future. Existing copper technologies (digital subscriber loop - DSL, and variants)are limited by the physical makeup of the cable itself. Fibre is not - the speed is only constrained by the sophistication of the electronic equipment at each end.
What is the capacity of the KAREN backbone?
The current KAREN network has a 10 gigabit backbone, but this can be upgraded as new technologies are developed without having to replace the fibre. Already national education and research networks in some countries are using 40 gigabit backbones.
What network components does the NEN provide?
The NEN provides all the network components external to the school but including the edge router. This includes the physical connection to the nearest KAREN PoP (point of presence)as well as all usage costs for both KAREN and commodity Internet.
Who pays for network cabling on the school grounds?
This is not covered by the NEN. It is the responsibility of the school to provide suitable in-school cabling including the fibre connection to the school gate (sometimes referred to as the drop costs), although it is generally expected that the fibre network provider will terminate the cable at or near the school's network hub or main server room. The school would however be responsible for trenching a suitable duct for the fibre. Schools can receive assistance through the Ministry of Education's School Network Upgrade Programme (SNUP). SNUP covers 80% of the costs for state schools and 68% costs for state integrated schools. Schools are expected to cover the balance from their 5-year property funding allocation.
When will my school get access to fibre?
It is estimated that around 200 schools already have access to a fibre connection. Schools in the top 25 population centres will be connected by fibre as part of the government's $1.5B commitment to invest in local fibre companies (LFCs) to deploy fibre to every household over the next 6-10 years. Schools in smaller population centres and rural areas are expected to be connected by fibre through the rural broadband initiative. They will get 100Mbps like everyone else. 97% of all schools are to be connected within 6 years. The remaining 3% of schools are too expensive to get fibre and they have been promised 10Mbps using high speed copper-based services (DSL), wireless or satellite services.
What will schools be expected to pay for?
Schools will be expected to continue to pay for services delivered over the NEN. The Ministry of Education may choose to subsidise or even fully fund some services, but schools should continue to budget for application and content services.
Do we need to join KAREN as part of the NEN?
Yes. All NEN schools must become Associate Members of KAREN. KAREN provides the national and international infrastructure for the NEN and all users must conform to KAREN's acceptable use policies (AUPs). For the purposes of the Trial Extension the current 'per student' fee of $2.65 per annum will be continued. This cost will be covered by the Ministry of Education until at least June 2011 for participating schools. After June 2011 different fee structures may apply.
How are schools being selected for the trial extension?
23 schools participated in a Proof of Concept (PoC) technical trial in 2008 and 2009. These schools are being invited to continue for the duration of the trial extension (to June 2011). Schools in existing fibre loop initiatives are also being invited to participate. Typically these schools have already formed a geographic cluster with access to shared services. Other schools with open-access fibre will also be connected; the timing will depend on the availability of local aggregation devices (distribution routers) and the distances to the nearest KAREN PoP.
What ongoing support will NEN schools get?
REANNZ has been contracted by the Ministry of Education to appoint up to 10 network cluster wranglers. These people will be based in local communities and provide hands-on support to NEN schools, assisting with both the establishment of the initial connection and providing ongoing techncial support.
Will the commodity internet be filtered?
Yes. A request for proposals is to be issued, inviting suppliers of filtering services to suggest the best way this can be achieved.
What can NEN schools do about their existing ISP contracts?
This will depend on the agreed terms of current contracts. For schools in loop clusters, ISP contracts are typically contracted for 12 month periods with 1 - 3 months notice required before services can be terminated. Schools with existing ISP contracts are encouraged to continue with these until it becomes possible to transfer to the NEN ISP without incurring penalty charges. REANNZ will work with the school clusters to identify likely paths to transfer to the NEN commodity internet service.
