Extension to South Asia

One of the central objectives of the TEIN3 project was the extension of the TEIN network to the South Asian sub-region. To this end a feasibility study (SAFS) was undertaken in conjunction with the prospective South Asian partners in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
 
The study took place between May and December 2008 and assessed:

• the status and prospects for research and education networking in the target countries
• the role that TEIN3 could play to assist the countries
• and the obligations of the target countries of participation in TEIN3
   

Following tendering to provide the network connectivity, 7 new partner countries joined TEIN3 at the end of 2009, bringing the number of members to 18: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.

US-Pakistan connection: a cooperation model for the future
Researchers in Pakistan – one of the SAFS target countries – were already able to connect with their colleagues around the globe in 2008 thanks to the extension of the US-National Science Foundation (NSF) - funded TransPAC2 network. The TEIN programme has helped to make this happen. Inaugurated in October 2008, the physical network connection between Karachi and Singapore was co-funded by the NSF and PERN, the Pakistani NREN. In Singapore the network connects to the TEIN3 point of presence and via the TEIN3 network and the TransPAC2 project to the global research and education network.

This link is a pioneering cooperation between European and North American programmes, a model which is well suited to build on in extending research and education networking to other countries in South Asia.