Learn all about RCTS100, the project that technologically updates the national education and research network – the Science, Technology and Society Network (RCTS).
It was on October 1, 2017 that it all began, with the official start of the RCTS100With a total investment of €17 million, €13 million of which came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the initiative had an expected implementation timeframe of approximately three years. With the pandemic, its completion was now expected by the end of 2022. The project's thematic objective was simple and illustrative of its importance: “Strengthening research, technological development and innovation”.
To this end, over the last five years, RCTS100 has been expanding the fiber optic infrastructure of the national education and research network and ensuring its technological updating. “We are building a new generation RCTS”, highlighted the Director of Network Services Area of the FCCN Unit, Ana Pinto, in an interview published in January 2021. At the same time, the project also made it possible to internally train the internal networks of nine public higher education institutions.
Thus, the RCTS100 project had repercussions throughout the country. In addition to activating new fiber optic infrastructure routes, which enabled upgrading connections to several higher education institutions, it also enabled the creation of two new rings in the network. These efforts are part of the goal of making more scalable network, both in terms of the number of services provided and in terms of increased redundancy and resilience to failures.
Combating inequalities
The term "digital divide" applies to the differences felt in different parts of the country regarding available connectivity services. In the case of RCTS, its fiber infrastructure was located primarily along the country's coast and in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon and Porto. This resulted in significant differences between the services provided there and those available to teaching and research institutions located in the northern or southern interior of the country.
The RCTS100 project sought to address this need. By standardizing fiber access and activating an optical transmission system with nationwide coverage,It was possible to guarantee equal conditions of access to the network, regardless of the location of the participating entity. RCTS teaching and research entities located in the south or in the north can now access multiple services at 100Gbps.
Over the past few months, the FCCN Unit has been sharing the testimony of officials linked to various RCTS entities, through your blog. The interviewees highlighted the role this project plays in the day-to-day operations of their institutions. “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.”
These changes are also seen as essential to provide RCTS with the capacity to face the challenges of the present and the future.
In a context where the pandemic accelerated digital transformation processes, teaching and research institutions created new solutions and expanded their markets, following a global education approach. “This globalization must be guaranteed without restrictions and with high communications capacity”, explains Ana Pinto, before concluding: “RCTS100 comes precisely to guarantee and support the ongoing transition”.
*Project co-financed by the Operational Programme for Technical Assistance, Portugal 2020 and the European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund
