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THE GRONINGEN INTERNET EXCHANGE ON THE ZERNIKE COMPLEX
Important stimulus for Groningen IT-city
Groningen, December 11, 2000
The city council of Groningen and the University of Groningen will
be working together with four telecom-operators on an advanced interchange
of Internet connections on the Zernike complex. During the coming
weeks a plan will be drawn up in cooperation with KPN, Essent Kabelcom,
Versatel and Telfort. The 'Groningen Internet Exchange' is due to
start the second quarter of 2001. This was announced by City councillor
of Economic Affairs,Schuiling, when the first brick of the Zernikeborg
was laid. The Groningen Internet Exchange will have its premises
in the Zernikeborg and the Computer Centre of the University of
Groningen.
Exchange
An Internet Exchange is a junction where the infrastructures of
many providers (suppliers of internet connections) come together.
It is a place of exchange between providers, but it also offers
quick and cheap Internet access to companies. An Internet Exchange
therefore is very important to ICT related providers, especially
for Internet companies.
Speed and bandwidth
Because of the large amount of infrastructure that comes together
in an Internet Exchange, it becomes much more simple to supply connections
with a large bandwidth. Therefore, the delivery period for a connection
on the Zernike Science Park can be reduced from a few months to
a few days. This will in turn be more beneficial for all industrial
estates in Groningen.
Speed is very important in the rapidly developing ICT sector, and
an important development in the ICT sector is the so-called Application
Service Providing (ASP). This means that companies no longer manage
their own ICT applications, but farm them out to an ICT-service
provider. The management is often done from a distance, which means
that the applications are running
at the ICT service providers' premises. These usually heavy applications
need arrangements with a broad bandwidth.
Security and reliability
Besides speed and bandwidth, security and reliability are of vital
importance to both suppliers and users. As a neutral Internet Exchange
and a digital assembly point for a large number of suppliers of
Internet traffic and services the Groningen Internet Exchange ensures
security and
reliability.
Zernikeborg
The Groningen Internet Exchange (GN-IX) will have its head office
in the Zernikeborg. This will be the assembly point for ICT Infrastructure
in the northern Netherlands. Besides the GN-IX the Zernikeborg will
be used by a part of the Computer Centre of the University of Groningen,
the knowledge centre of internet applications ICT@NN and the Centre
for High Performance
Computing and Visualisation. The Centre for High Performance Computing
and Visualisation is available for research business as well as
industrial business. The Centre will have the second CAVE in the
Netherlands in the Zernikeborg. A CAVE (Computer Animated Virtual
Environment) is a
three-dimensional space where it is possible to project three-dimensional
images on four walls. Besides that, there will be a Theatre, which
can be used by a larger group of people (max.25). The Theatre will
have a panoramic projection of 3D-images and will be approximately
8 metres wide. The facilities can be used for research, design,
presentations, training and
education.
Second or third in the Netherlands
The first brick for the Zernikeborg was laid the 11th December.
According to the schedule, the Zernikeborg will be completed in
the autumn of 2001. The aim is to start GN-IX at the beginning of
the second quarter of 2001. During the coming few weeks, the implementation
plan will be completed. The GN-IX will start in the Computer Centre
of the University of Groningen, and later
on, will be expanded to the Zernikeborg. At the moment only one
Internet Exchange is operational in the Netherlands, the AMS-IX
in Amsterdam. Through the Internet providers there will be a direct
connection between Groningen and the AMS-IX. An Internet Exchange
is being proposed for Enschede as well, the so-called ND-IX (Dutch-German
Internet Exchange).
Note for the press
For more information please contact:
Okko Sprey, project leader GN-IX, tel.+ 31622403037, e-mail okko@gn-ix.net
Wim Liebrand, director Computer Centre Rijksuniversiteit Groningen,
tel.+3150 363 34 10,
e-mail W.B.G.Liebrand@rc.rug.nl
Jan Arie Bijl, City Council of Groningen, tel.+3150 367 80 11, e-mail
janarie@gn-ix.net
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