Welcome to UbuntuNet-Connect 2010!
Here is an opportunity for you to interact with the African Research and Education Networking community and learn about the progress and status of REN activities in Africa. UbuntuNet-Connect is the annual networking conference organised by UbuntuNet Alliance. This time it is hosted by TENET. The conference will be held at Kopanong Resort and Conference Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa from 18 – 19th November 2010.

Five years ago, the Alliance was a dream, and we were looking forward with a lot of hope to the creation of a strong regional Research and Education Network with strong NRENs as members.  A lot has happened since that time:

• The UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking's membership has grown to 13,    and is targeted to reach 14 by the end of 2010.
• During 2009, two marine fibers, SEACOM and TEAMS, landed on the East Coast of Africa, making the dream of high bandwidth connectivity international at affordable prices a reality in this region for the first time.
• Governments in the region have become more positive about supporting research and education networking, even if many of them still have limited appreciation of the scope and potential of REN activities as a critical stimulant for national development.
• Most of the member NRENs now have their Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and independent IP address space.  A small but rapidly increasing number are also actually operational.
• Three years ago, paying $4000 and more per Mbps per month for a semi-duplex VSAT link was the norm. Now, universities are increasingly getting access at typical prices of $500 per Mbps per month for a full-duplex fiber based circuit, a price reduction of about 90%.
• Five years ago, there was excitement about total pledges, there was considerable excitement at the USD 3 million pledged to enable educational and research institutions to acquire bandwidth on then- planned EASSy cable.  Now, we have formal commitment for €12million from the EC as part of a total package of €15 million for AfricaConnect – a project that will establish a dedicated regional network with international connectivity.

We never expected to move so fast in so short a time.  When the African National Congress came to power in South Africa, they had invested themselves so much in the struggle that they were somewhat taken aback by the reality of having to run a country.  The Alliance, and the new NRENs, face similar challenges:  Now that regional and international connectivity is a reality, it is the time to deliver on our promises.  This has led to our conference theme for this year: Rolling out the Regional Infrastructure: From dreams to achievement "Infrastructure...Applications....Content...Innovation...Policy."

The Conference features an exciting programme with well-known and experienced speakers from  across the world. We look forward to seeing you at Kopanong.