April 05, 2002

    ERNET India, under the Department of Information Technology, in the Ministry of Communications and IT and UGC have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing a nationwide network through technology in order to facilitate higher education. The MOU was signed between Secretary Department of IT, Shri R.R. Shah and Professor Hari Gautam, Chairman UGC. Under the MOU, UGC and ERNET India would become technology partners and have a long term commitment to meet the aspiration of education community in the country. Together, they would set up Nationwide Network and provide access at doorstep of each University and upgrade the IT infrastructure within each University for extending access to the University Departments and also affiliated colleges.

    The proposed Network would facilitate College-University interaction for academic, administrative and financial management and integrate information Technology and Internet tools in the learning environment. Students in remote institutes would be able to receive lectures by eminent scholars held at remote places. UGC Net would effectively ensure virtual enhancement of academic infrastructure. In the long run, each University will thrive to become a hub for the colleges affiliated to it. The above infrastructure requires assured bandwidth over the network so as to facilitate Internet access and access to multimedia content and video conferencing. The entire network will be seamless, scalable in terms of technology, broadband, application and reach. The network will cater to any media, be it a Satellite, Terrestrial or Radio to suit every user in the country. A similar MOU was signed in September, 2001 with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to set up intra and internet for Engineering Colleges and Technical Institutions under its purview.

    ERNET India will make use of its Terrestrial backbone, Satellite and Radio Channels to provide the state-of-the-art broadband connectivity for the Universities, Colleges, Engineering and Technical Institutions in the country. A dedicated Data Centre will be set up to facilitate the current generation and hosting of University specific material. Applications like Digital Library and Distance Learning would be implemented on ERNET.

    The Department of IT had already formulated a programme "Gyan Vahini" for upgradation of IT infrastructure at the higher learning institutions in the country. In this regard, the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and IT and UGC have initiated a process and planned Intra and Internet network for Indian Universities and the colleges affiliated to them.

    ERNET is a nodal network for integrating education and research institutions in the country. ERNET has set up one of the largest and seamless Wide Area Networks consisting of Satellite, Radio and a Fibre Optic Backbone to cover major cities of the country. The services are provided through its 12 Points of Presence (PoPs) set up at the premier institutions in the country like IITs and IISc. Each of the node is equipped with the state-of-the-art infrastructure, end-to-end Fibre connectivity providing bandwidth of 140 Mega bits.