With the increase in internet traffic from institutions associated with the growth in the consumption of digital content, particularly distance learning, the FCT has strengthened the Science, Technology and Society Network (RCTS), which supports internet connections for the Portuguese teaching and research community.
In response to the current crisis, the Foundation for Science and Technology, through its FCCN unit, strengthened its infrastructure, the RCTS, and began developing two operations. The first was a upgrade in access to the University of the Azores, the University of Madeira and the University of Algarve, which resulted in an increase of 344% in the RCTS access speed.
"On my own behalf and on behalf of the University of the Azores, I want to thank and commend all your hard work, dedication, and commitment. Not only during these turbulent times, but always. You are a tremendous help!" thanked Rui Medeiros, Director of the Information and Communication Technologies Service at the University of the Azores.
The second operation consisted of an upgrade of the RCTS connection to Gigapix to 100Gbps, with the aim of guaranteeing the quality of the academic network's connection with the networks of telecommunications operators and with the networks of the major content providers present in Gigapix, which increased the connection of the two infrastructures by 400%.
Also João Rodrigues, from the University of Algarve, wanted to thank, “On behalf of the Rectorate, the academy and the IT Services of UAlg, I would like to thank you for the availability and speed with which you allocated us the 10Gbit/s bandwidth during this difficult time in our lives. It was fantastic.”
Gilberto Freitas, from the University of Madeira, wanted to recognize the importance, “Since most of us are working remotely, often using VPN (Virtual Private Network) applications, before the circuit upgrade, we were experiencing daily outages, even if short-lived, which caused some disruption to our work. With the University of Madeira's circuit upgrade to RCTS, we now have seamless connections from home to UMa throughout the day. We are therefore very grateful to FCCN for the upgrade.”.
RCTS intends to continue strengthening its infrastructure through investments planned under the RCTS100 project, which is scheduled for completion in September 2021. This project, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, Lisboa2020 and Algarve 2020, aims to develop national communication and large data computing capabilities, as well as extending RCTS's fiber optic infrastructure to entities located in the north and south of the country, in order to eliminate the digital divide that still exists in the network.
About RCTS
THE RCTS – Science, Technology and Society Network – is the national research and teaching network, also internationally designated as NREN (National Research and Education Network).
Managed and operated by the FCCN Unit, the unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) responsible for national scientific computing, RCTS offers researchers, teachers, and students a high-performance digital infrastructure that supports the projects they develop nationally and internationally.
