- National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) globally are investing in new strategies to ensure seamless, reliable, and resilient connectivity for researchers, educators, and students.
- By collaborating, they enhance resilience through sharing best practices, co-developing standards, and contributing to global infrastructure.
- Australia’s NREN (AARNET) is working on projects to provide network redundancy and near-zero grid dependency.
Resilient network connectivity is critical in an era when data drives progress in science, education, and innovation.
Fields like artificial intelligence (AI), genomics, and climate science generate vast data volumes that need reliable and robust transport between instruments, labs, computing facilities, and researchers—often across borders. At the same time, research and education networks face challenges from natural disasters, cyber threats, and geopolitical tensions.
Ensuring their stability is vital for global collaboration and discovery, even amid unpredictable disruptions.
AARNet, Australia’s national research and education network (NREN), and other NRENs worldwide are investing in new strategies to ensure seamless, reliable, and resilient connectivity for researchers, educators, and students.
AARNet’s Commitment to Resilience
AARNet brought the Internet to Australia in 1989 and has a respected history as a pioneer in delivering high-performance Internet and advanced network services to Australia’s universities, research institutes, schools, and cultural organizations. Long recognizing the need for a robust network that can withstand disruptions, AARNet has continuously expanded its capacity and strengthened its national and international infrastructure to minimize vulnerabilities.
Recent investments include developing redundant connections nationally and internationally through terrestrial and subsea cables and deploying cybersecurity measures. Through its “triversity” strategy, AARNet is building multiple backup paths to ensure that research data flows—whether between labs or across continents—are sustained, even in the face of unexpected outages.
The architecture of the next iteration of the AARNet network, AARNet5, will extend its active routed network closer to customer sites, particularly in regional areas, to minimize non-redundant last-mile connections and enhance reliability.
Global Partnerships For Stronger Networks
Globally, NRENs share a mission to protect the connectivity that supports cutting-edge research and education, prioritizing strategies to address risks such as international cable failures caused by sabotage, vandalism, and accidental outages.
By collaborating, they enhance resilience through sharing best practices, co-developing standards, and contributing to global infrastructure.
To safeguard global connectivity, the NREN CEO Forum—a group of national research and education network leaders— has launched initiatives such as the:
- Business Continuity Expert Panel, which conducts disaster scenario exercises to prepare NRENs for crises.
- GREN Resilience Workgroup, which reviews links and exchange points to identify single points of failure and regions lacking redundancy to guide future investments.
Collaborations such as the Asia-Pacific Europe Ring (AER) and the Asia Pacific Oceania network (APOnet) reinforce connectivity between continents. AER backup paths ensured uninterrupted service when a submarine cable between Singapore and Europe failed earlier this year. Through these partnerships, AARNet is helping establish multiple redundant paths, ensuring global network reliability.
Sustainability at the Core of Infrastructure Upgrades
Beyond redundancy, AARNet is committed to sustainable network infrastructure.
Projects co-funded under the Australian federal Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation Program include:
- Enhancing renewable energy capabilities at critical sites with wind power, battery storage, and solar installations. This project aims to implement stand-alone power solutions at 27 sites across New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia to reduce grid power reliance and cut carbon emissions. The plan involves upgrading or installing batteries, enhancing or adding solar capacity, and introducing wind power where feasible. The goal is to achieve near-zero grid dependency while minimizing environmental impact.
- Deploying portable generators for controlled environment vaults (CEVs) in high-risk areas, providing emergency backup power, and securing equipment. This project involves storing pre-configured CEVs with power systems and racks on each coast of Australia, along with “generator on a trailer” systems in Victoria, Western Australia, and New South Wales, all ready to be deployed in emergencies.
These measures enhance disaster preparedness and ensure connectivity during power outages and extreme weather events driven by climate change.
📡 As part of the Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation program, $17.4 million will be shared among 33 grants to improve and protect mobile and broadband services against natural disasters in rural and regional Australia.
— AusGov Media & Tech (@AusGovMediaTech) May 2, 2024
Find out more: https://t.co/DcumUtbWY2 pic.twitter.com/feA1NhIEja
Technology Powering Network Reliability
AARNet is advancing automation by developing an operation support system (OSS) platform, which reduces operator error and improves operational maturity. Enhanced security measures protect networks from cyber threats, including zero-trust architectures and defenses against DDoS attacks. Artifical intelligence and machine learning are game changers for predicting and preventing potential issues and optimizing performance automatically.
By addressing risks, fostering innovation, and building sustainable infrastructure, NRENs safeguard the networks supporting global research and education.
Jane Gifford is the Director of Marketing and Communications at AARNet.
Photo of a plow rolling out fiber cable in regional New South Wales, Australia. Courtesy of AARNET.