Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the pioneer in the nation’s drive to become an advanced knowledge-based society, today formally unveiled an advanced Ethernet project that will connect Qatar to a world of new educational opportunities.
Developed by industry leaders Qatar Telecom (Qtel) and Reliance Globalcom, the Ethernet project has been designed to connect Education City, which hosts branch campuses of a number of prestigious international institutions, with their home campuses in the USA via high-speed Broadband connectivity. By deploying the Ethernet connection, academics and researchers will be able to exchange data and new findings via voice, video and data applications.
To mark the initiation of the project, a special ceremony was held at the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, attended by executives from Qatar Foundation, Qtel and Reliance Globalcom.
As a result of this project, various QF entities will be able to work together seamlessly and securely, exchanging information instantly, with the increased focus serving to push Qatar forward on the world stage as a hub for original scientific, social and commercial research.
The new Global Ethernet solution replaces the existing legacy connections, and is the first of its kind to be instituted in Qatar and the whole Middle East region.
Khalid Al-Sulaiteen, Executive Director of Operations at QF, said “In our mission to develop Qatar as a knowledge-based society, we have prioritised the importance of forging links and building bridges with international institutions. Our investment in this cutting-edge solution demonstrates our commitment to furthering these relationships, and ensures that students and researchers can share knowledge around the world.”
Through their partnership, Qtel will provide dedicated access in Qatar and support for the end-to-end solution, while Reliance Globalcom will provide ethernet over MPLS connectivity outside of Qatar and through to the United States.
“Qtel has a long track record of working with key strategic projects for Qatar, and none has been more important than our latest work for Qatar Foundation,” said Engineer Khalid Abdulla Al-Mansouri, Executive Director of Business Solutions at Qtel Education provides the basis for the growth and development of the nation, so we are pleased and proud that this solution will make a distinct contribution.”
Engineer Sa’di Awienat, Director of Information Technology at QF, said “The solution provides secure connectivity for voice, video and data applications for better collaboration. This next generation solution reduces the total cost of ownership, with increased scalability and usage based billing. It brings enhanced prioritization features and improved redundancy, which enables critical information to be instantly shared globally.”
“Key to the solution is its round-the-clock functionality and scalability, enabling researchers to share large documents and files in complete security rapidly and effectively,” he added.
Equally, the bandwidth provided by the Ethernet solution will enable the deployment of “next-generation” communication tools, including High-Definition video conferencing and telepresence.
Punit Garg, President and CEO of Reliance Globalcom, said “Our solutions will enable Qatar Foundation to extend world class education and research facilities for the benefit of the people of Qatar and the world. Reliance Globalcom offers Global Ethernet service as a one-stop-shop to over 36 countries and this new Ethernet bridge will provide an important link for Qatar.”
Started in March 2009, the solution is now fully live, and already adding to the academic experience of the high potential students of Education City.
