Section 2

SECTION 2: SDNP Pilot Phase Project. Setting up the pilot project of the SDNP

Introduction

In formulating any major project, one has to consider the elements of risk and has to have a system for reducing them. For an ambitious nationwide networking project the size of SDNP, it is the same. It is only logical to assume that there might be some minor logistical and technical hitches along its implementation process and one has to be prepared for such an event if it should arise. The aim of the project should be to minimize such problems and to make them a capacity building exercise for the host organization so that it is essentially a strengthening experience for them and not a damaging one.

Keeping this in mind, the Pilot Phase Project (PPP) was formulated. The PPP is essentially of the same kind of technical and logistical setup as that of the 'Mother Node', but on a much smaller scale and it is intended to cater to a smaller number of organizations. The logic behind this setup being of a smaller size is that, if there are any problems in the execution of the project, it will be on a smaller scale. The trial and error learning process would not be expensive, resource wise. Also it is much easier to start up a database-structured network on a small scale rather than a big nation-wide one right from the beginning, to help us learn about how to run such a setup.

The technical aspects too were thought of before the idea of the PPP was entertained. If the central node is going to be linked to the Internet via VSAT(S) (Very Srnall Aperture Terminal, it is going to take a lot of time and resources before the VSAT(S) can be acquired, so in order to start operations as soon as possible, the idea of the PPP seems the most feasible.

As seen in the Network diagram in the previous page, the PPP would be setup at BIDS, the host organization. The PPP would then cater, on a test basis to almost all of the SEMP components in Dhaka City. In addition to these SEMP projects a few other institutions can also be connected. For the Pilot Phase, the following institutions are proposed, but not limited to, as potential test users of the SDN network: Press Media, The Project Management Unit of SEMP at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, UNDP, research and academic institutes.

Contextual Logistic and Technical Issues to Consider before Setting up the PPP

A number of contextual, technical and logistical problems are foreseen before the operation of the SDN and therefore the PPP can begin. These problems are the typical ones faced by any new ISP when they enter the Internet service providing market. A few major considerations are:

Lack of telephone lines available. With out the right number of telephone lines, all attempts to execute either the PPP or the main "Mother Node" installation is futile.

Lack of top domain in Bangladesh. (*.bd does not exist)

Considerations for mode of connection to the Internet. Leased line? VSAT?

Leased line very slow over unreliable and noisy phone lines. Not enough bandwidth will be available through a lease line to cater to all five regional nodes. It may be enough for the PPP but it would not be enough for the 'Mother Node'.

Extra-ordinary monthly cost of VSAT (800% higher than neighboring India) acquired through BTTB.

Lack of choice as to who is the upstream provider. The only choice is the 8 operators endorsed by BTTB.

Unnecessary payment of US$ 1,000 per month to BTTB as royalty. Whereas BTTB provides no service in return.

BTTBs introduction of Tk. 2,000/1,700 charge for telephone lines hooked up to the modem pools at the ISP end. BTTB claims that this is because they do not cam any revenue from these 'answer only' lines. It has been calculated that on an average the cost that the users are paying for dialing in more than covers for the non-use of these lines.

The refusal of BTTB to connect to the submarine fiber optic passing through the Bay of Bengal. The utilization of which would dramatically improve Internet performance countrywide and drastically reduce Internet costing.

Because of the high-costing low-speed Internet access available through the VSATS, the local users are forced to host their WebPages on US and international servers, thus making Bangladesh lose valuable foreign exchange.

Extraordinary charge of Tk.7,500 by BTTB for providing 'hunting line' facilities

The Nodes:

The 'nodes' are the institutional centers where the housing of the various databases and the technical setup of the SDN would lie. This would be for both the host organization as well as the outlying regional organizations chosen to host the nodes.

There would be six nodes in total all over the country. The central node would be placed in Dhaka, the 'Mother Node'. Five regional 'Daughter Nodes' would be placed in the five divisions of Bangladesh. The regional Daughter Nodes are being proposed to be in the following cities:

Chittagong

Khulna

Barisal

Svlhet

Rajshahi

The institutions which would host these regional nodes need to be identified and has to be ensured that they have the capacity to take on such a project.

The institutional regional nodes would be acting as regional ISPs and the end users would be dialing in to their servers. The nodes themselves would, in turn, be connected to the mother node in BIDS Dhaka, either through a BTTB leased line, through a BTTB X.25 line or through a microwave link. Each regional node is expected to cater to about 100 end users consisting of BIDS partner institutions and organizations.

Concept of the "Mobile Node":

One of the concepts behind the initial PPP setup is of the "Mobile Node'. The hardware setup of the PPP would move on to a regional 'Daughter Node' once the main hardware setup of the host organization, i.e. the 'Mother Node' is activated. After the first regional node is setup with its own hardware, the "Mobile Node' moves on to the next regional center. So, essentially, the 'Mobile Node' is a roving temporary setup for those places where the actual regional nodes have not been set up yet. And once that a node is setup, the 'Mobile Node' moves on to the next regional institution. This can be easily done, because the 'Mobile Node' would be made out of the same hardware specification as of the 'Daughter Nodes' and so the switchover between them would be smooth.

Technical issues of Setting up the Nodes:

The 'Mother Node", would house the entire arrangement for the SDN, acting as the hub for the data communications network of the SDN. The setup for the "Mother Node' includes the web servers, mail servers, login servers and the data base servers.

In connecting the five 'Daughter Nodes' to the central node at BIDS, one has to consider the fact that the five 'Daughter Nodes' are geographically separated from BIDS by quiet a distance and so communication in between them, which is essential, would be difficult. The 'Daughter Nodes' would be connecting to the central node using a suitable telecommunications method; suggestions for the communication setup for the central node as well as the 'Daughter Nodes' are given at the technical layout of the SDN.

Scope and Possible Activities of the PPP.

The SDN network works for Sustainable man Development in different developing countries of the world. They a ate a free flow of information in the country and on a global leading to an improvement of the lives of all the people involved with it.

In Bangladesh the SDN Pilot Phase Project could take the following initiative

Provide a more economic mode of communication outside the country as well as within in. It could help all the people living outside the city by providing them a gateway to the Internet so that they can communicate with people living outside the country without paying expensive telecommunications bills. The Internet system could also help the people living in the outlying parts of the country connect and communicate with the people living in the cities through e-mail.

Provide local Video and Audio Conferencing abilities to its members.

Provide offline e-mail facilities right from the beginning of the PPP to the partner institutes. As the PPP gets connected to the Internet, online c-mail could be provided to the partners and maybe even full Internet facilities.

Provide c-mail to fax service to the partners

Provide access to newsgroups. The news groups have a wealth of information to offer. Through the use of locally managed newsgroups or bulletin boards, an active discussion could be encouraged on a national level on various issues. These could even be linked with the international servers.

Provide an NGO database for national and international users. The people using this data can get a ready reference for an the NGO working in Bangladesh, it could be classified according to sectors so than the users and researchers can find them according to the kind and type of work they do. Their web pages can be developed for them by the SDN and can help them with the hosting technicalities.

It can be used as a monitoring vehicle for SEMP Program Management Unit (PMU) as well as the UNDP, to monitor their projects. Feedback from the project sites can be received instantaneously over the network.

Improving health care facilities. The health services sector could specially benefit from this. Patients would be able to send in their personal history data and other relevant information over the network to specialists based in the major cities. They could even scan in their x-ray and different test results and send it to the doctors for medical guidance and advice.

Connecting all the educational and research institutes to a central database containing reference and research documents from various sources. These could include reports from various international organizations providing research and statistical data. It could also include information given to the SDN by various partner organizations like research papers and statistical information.

The SDN could act as a central clearinghouse of all c-mails within Bangladesh. All the ISPs could log into the SDN network periodically and keep in there the mails for the local ISPS. When the ISP in question logs on, it gets the inter- Bangladesh mails. This cases the Internet bandwidth utilization and reduces out dependency on the international servers.

A virtual library could be created from the books and magazines that are published in an electronic form. Users could come to this web site and read up on the article they need from a book or a newspaper. Selected archives could be downloaded from the Internet and kept on the local machines for retrieval and use later.

Promote online awareness and advocacy programs on sustainable development issues. Taking full advantage of the SDN network, the different advocacy groups can reach out to more people at a time that they have ever done before. Awareness groups can reach out to more people using Internet web pages and multimedia presentations. Real Audio and Video streams could be used to get messages across to people who cannot read or write.

Disaster relief and emergency broadcast systems could be used more effectively using the SDN network. Instant data communication from the different nodes would provide crucial information to disaster management cells in Dhaka helping them effectively mobilize relief and support efforts to the worse hit areas.

News agencies all over the countries can be linked via the SDN for faster News Dissemination System. This way all the press clubs could be linked with each other and can share information simultaneously in real time. Video conferencing could be made possible over high-speed networks so that press conferences are broadcasted nationwide simultaneously. Speeches could be archived for retrieval later for research purposes.

Meteorological data from the government could provide fast and effective information to the nodal points providing them with up-to-the-minute data of the weather changes.

Online prices of essential agricultural commodities all over the country would provide the suppliers and farmers an idea of what he should expect from his products

Promote e-commerce. The different partner institutes and business entities can host their Internet web pages through the SDN network and advertise their products which people can buy online or order for delivery.

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		SECTION 2: SDNP Pilot Phase Project. Setting up the pilot project of the SDNP Introduction In formulating any major project, one has to consider the elements of risk and has to have a system for reducing them. For an ambitious nationwide networking project the size of SDNP, it is the same. It is only logical to assume that there might be some minor logistical and technical hitches along its implementation process and one has to be prepared for such an event if it should arise. The aim of the project should be to minimize such problems and to make them a capacity building exercise for the host organization so that it is essentially a strengthening experience for them and not a damaging one. Keeping this in mind, the Pilot Phase Project (PPP) was formulated. The PPP is essentially of the same kind of technical and logistical setup as that of the 'Mother Node', but on a much smaller scale and it is intended to cater to a smaller number of organizations. The logic behind this setup being of a smaller size is that, if there are any problems in the execution of the project, it will be on a smaller scale. The trial and error learning process would not be expensive, resource wise. Also it is much easier to start up a database-structured network on a small scale rather than a big nation-wide one right from the beginning, to help us learn about how to run such a setup. The technical aspects too were thought of before the idea of the PPP was entertained. If the central node is going to be linked to the Internet via VSAT(S) (Very Srnall Aperture Terminal, it is going to take a lot of time and resources before the VSAT(S) can be acquired, so in order to start operations as soon as possible, the idea of the PPP seems the most feasible. As seen in the Network diagram in the previous page, the PPP would be setup at BIDS, the host organization. The PPP would then cater, on a test basis to almost all of the SEMP components in Dhaka City. In addition to these SEMP projects a few other institutions can also be connected. For the Pilot Phase, the following institutions are proposed, but not limited to, as potential test users of the SDN network: Press Media, The Project Management Unit of SEMP at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, UNDP, research and academic institutes. Contextual Logistic and Technical Issues to Consider before Setting up the PPP A number of contextual, technical and logistical problems are foreseen before the operation of the SDN and therefore the PPP can begin. These problems are the typical ones faced by any new ISP when they enter the Internet service providing market. A few major considerations are: Lack of telephone lines available. With out the right number of telephone lines, all attempts to execute either the PPP or the main "Mother Node" installation is futile. Lack of top domain in Bangladesh. (.bd does not exist) Considerations for mode of connection to the Internet. Leased line? VSAT? Leased line very slow over unreliable and noisy phone lines. Not enough bandwidth will be available through a lease line to cater to all five regional nodes. It may be enough for the PPP but it would not be enough for the 'Mother Node'. Extra-ordinary monthly cost of VSAT (800% higher than neighboring India) acquired through BTTB. Lack of choice as to who is the upstream provider. The only choice is the 8 operators endorsed by BTTB. Unnecessary payment of US$ 1,000 per month to BTTB as royalty. Whereas BTTB provides no service in return. BTTBs introduction of Tk. 2,000/1,700 charge for telephone lines hooked up to the modem pools at the ISP end. BTTB claims that this is because they do not cam any revenue from these 'answer only' lines. It has been calculated that on an average the cost that the users are paying for dialing in more than covers for the non-use of these lines. The refusal of BTTB to connect to the submarine fiber optic passing through the Bay of Bengal. The utilization of which would dramatically improve Internet performance countrywide and drastically reduce Internet costing. Because of the high-costing low-speed Internet access available through the VSATS, the local users are forced to host their WebPages on US and international servers, thus making Bangladesh lose valuable foreign exchange. Extraordinary charge of Tk.7,500 by BTTB for providing 'hunting line' facilities The Nodes:* The 'nodes' are the institutional centers where the housing of the various databases and the technical setup of the SDN would lie. This would be for both the host organization as well as the outlying regional organizations chosen to host the nodes. There would be six nodes in total all over the country. The central node would be placed in Dhaka, the 'Mother Node'. Five regional 'Daughter Nodes' would be placed in the five divisions of Bangladesh. The regional Daughter Nodes are being proposed to be in the following cities: Chittagong Khulna Barisal Svlhet Rajshahi The institutions which would host these regional nodes need to be identified and has to be ensured that they have the capacity to take on such a project. The institutional regional nodes would be acting as regional ISPs and the end users would be dialing in to their servers. The nodes themselves would, in turn, be connected to the mother node in BIDS Dhaka, either through a BTTB leased line, through a BTTB X.25 line or through a microwave link. Each regional node is expected to cater to about 100 end users consisting of BIDS partner institutions and organizations. Concept of the "Mobile Node": One of the concepts behind the initial PPP setup is of the "Mobile Node'. The hardware setup of the PPP would move on to a regional 'Daughter Node' once the main hardware setup of the host organization, i.e. the 'Mother Node' is activated. After the first regional node is setup with its own hardware, the "Mobile Node' moves on to the next regional center. So, essentially, the 'Mobile Node' is a roving temporary setup for those places where the actual regional nodes have not been set up yet. And once that a node is setup, the 'Mobile Node' moves on to the next regional institution. This can be easily done, because the 'Mobile Node' would be made out of the same hardware specification as of the 'Daughter Nodes' and so the switchover between them would be smooth. Technical issues of Setting up the Nodes: The 'Mother Node", would house the entire arrangement for the SDN, acting as the hub for the data communications network of the SDN. The setup for the "Mother Node' includes the web servers, mail servers, login servers and the data base servers. In connecting the five 'Daughter Nodes' to the central node at BIDS, one has to consider the fact that the five 'Daughter Nodes' are geographically separated from BIDS by quiet a distance and so communication in between them, which is essential, would be difficult. The 'Daughter Nodes' would be connecting to the central node using a suitable telecommunications method; suggestions for the communication setup for the central node as well as the 'Daughter Nodes' are given at the technical layout of the SDN. Scope and Possible Activities of the PPP. The SDN network works for Sustainable man Development in different developing countries of the world. They a ate a free flow of information in the country and on a global leading to an improvement of the lives of all the people involved with it. In Bangladesh the SDN Pilot Phase Project could take the following initiative Provide a more economic mode of communication outside the country as well as within in. It could help all the people living outside the city by providing them a gateway to the Internet so that they can communicate with people living outside the country without paying expensive telecommunications bills. The Internet system could also help the people living in the outlying parts of the country connect and communicate with the people living in the cities through e-mail. Provide local Video and Audio Conferencing abilities to its members. Provide offline e-mail facilities right from the beginning of the PPP to the partner institutes. As the PPP gets connected to the Internet, online c-mail could be provided to the partners and maybe even full Internet facilities. Provide c-mail to fax service to the partners Provide access to newsgroups. The news groups have a wealth of information to offer. Through the use of locally managed newsgroups or bulletin boards, an active discussion could be encouraged on a national level on various issues. These could even be linked with the international servers. Provide an NGO database for national and international users. The people using this data can get a ready reference for an the NGO working in Bangladesh, it could be classified according to sectors so than the users and researchers can find them according to the kind and type of work they do. Their web pages can be developed for them by the SDN and can help them with the hosting technicalities. It can be used as a monitoring vehicle for SEMP Program Management Unit (PMU) as well as the UNDP, to monitor their projects. Feedback from the project sites can be received instantaneously over the network. Improving health care facilities. The health services sector could specially benefit from this. Patients would be able to send in their personal history data and other relevant information over the network to specialists based in the major cities. They could even scan in their x-ray and different test results and send it to the doctors for medical guidance and advice. Connecting all the educational and research institutes to a central database containing reference and research documents from various sources. These could include reports from various international organizations providing research and statistical data. It could also include information given to the SDN by various partner organizations like research papers and statistical information. The SDN could act as a central clearinghouse of all c-mails within Bangladesh. All the ISPs could log into the SDN network periodically and keep in there the mails for the local ISPS. When the ISP in question logs on, it gets the inter- Bangladesh mails. This cases the Internet bandwidth utilization and reduces out dependency on the international servers. A virtual library could be created from the books and magazines that are published in an electronic form. Users could come to this web site and read up on the article they need from a book or a newspaper. Selected archives could be downloaded from the Internet and kept on the local machines for retrieval and use later. Promote online awareness and advocacy programs on sustainable development issues. Taking full advantage of the SDN network, the different advocacy groups can reach out to more people at a time that they have ever done before. Awareness groups can reach out to more people using Internet web pages and multimedia presentations. Real Audio and Video streams could be used to get messages across to people who cannot read or write. Disaster relief and emergency broadcast systems could be used more effectively using the SDN network. Instant data communication from the different nodes would provide crucial information to disaster management cells in Dhaka helping them effectively mobilize relief and support efforts to the worse hit areas. News agencies all over the countries can be linked via the SDN for faster News Dissemination System. This way all the press clubs could be linked with each other and can share information simultaneously in real time. Video conferencing could be made possible over high-speed networks so that press conferences are broadcasted nationwide simultaneously. Speeches could be archived for retrieval later for research purposes. Meteorological data from the government could provide fast and effective information to the nodal points providing them with up-to-the-minute data of the weather changes. Online prices of essential agricultural commodities all over the country would provide the suppliers and farmers an idea of what he should expect from his products Promote e-commerce. The different partner institutes and business entities can host their Internet web pages through the SDN network and advertise their products which people can buy online or order for delivery.
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