In October 2017, the FCCN Unit began building a next-generation national teaching and research network. The RCTS100 project, which concluded at the end of 2022, has been expand fiber optic infrastructure and to ensure the technological updating of the Science, Technology and Society Network (RCTS). At the same time, it allowed internally train the internal networks of nine public higher education institutions and respond to the challenge of the digital divide.
Common total investment of 17 million euros, 13 of which came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), RCTS100 took on an ambitious objective: “Strengthening research, technological development and innovation”.
A network with national impact
"We support not only the Portuguese higher education system and the national science and technology system, but also the connectivity of the Ministry of Education's schools and the organizational units of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education," explains Ana Pinto, Director of the FCCN Network Services Area.
Therefore, the technological update promoted by the RCTS100 project directly impacts several communities, from the higher education and science and technology system, but also communities of a more administrative nature, linked to the ministry, and the non-higher education community.
Given this very broad coverage of the national education and research network, this project guarantees a technological update with national repercussions.
Response to digital divide
But the impact of RCTS100 is not limited to activating new fiber optic infrastructure routes and upgrading connections at several higher education institutions across the country. Thanks to this project, create new rings in the network, in order to make it more scalable, both in terms of the number of services provided and in increasing redundancy and resilience to failures.
On the other hand, by standardizing fiber access and activating an optical transmission system with nationwide coverage, it was possible to guarantee identical network access conditions, regardless of the entity's location. RCTS teaching and research entities can now access multiple services at a speed of 100Gbps, regardless of their geographic location.. Responding to the challenge of the “digital divide” [asymmetries felt in different parts of the country regarding available connectivity services] is, therefore, another characteristic that makes this project strategic for national scientific and technological development.
Over the past few months, the FCCN Unit has been sharing the testimony of those responsible for several of these RCTS entities, through your blog. “The connection of the Polytechnic of Guarda to the national teaching and research network at 100Gpbs is essential to meet the needs”, highlights the coordinator of the Computer Center of the Polytechnic of Guarda, João Paulo Valbom. The same idea is shared by president of the Polytechnic of Viseu, José dos Santos Costa: “The connection of the Polytechnic of Viseu to the national teaching and research network at 100Gpbs is extremely important.”
*Project co-financed by the Operational Technical Assistance Program, Portugal 2020 and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund.
