Providing high-speed Internet to universities, research centers and municipal schools, through a optical fiber network of more than 100 km. With this objective in mind, RNP, the Regional University of Blumenau (Furb), the State Research and Innovation Support Foundation (Fapesc) and the Blumenau City Hall joined forces to create a metropolitan Internet network that now interconnects institutions schools based in the region. The project is part of the Santa Catarina Academic Network, and was inaugurated on Tuesday, 11/29, in a ceremony held at Furb.

The Metropolitan Network connects 11 strategic points, such as the Furb campus; the laboratory and academic units of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC); the Blumenau campus of the Federal Catarinense Institute (IFC); the GENE Institute - Blumenau Innovation Center; the Municipal Secretariat of Education of Blumenau; and also the campus of the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) in Gaspar, about 11 km from Blumenau. Connection speeds at locations will vary from 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps.

“The inauguration of this network is now consolidating and amplifying an existing collaboration relationship between FURB, the other institutions and RNP, which significantly contributes to the development of the region. Initiatives such as innovation ecosystems, research projects, extension actions and technical-scientific programs that seek to solve real challenges in the region can be integrated and amplified with the connectivity of the new network, adding innovation and purpose to these initiatives and academic training of students in the region”, explained Ana Lúcia Reis, head of Furb's Technology Division. 

With the Metropolitan Network of Blumenau, institutions now enjoy a high-performance infrastructure for carrying out research, experimentation and other functions, with the ability to transmit data at very high speed. The line is in the process of becoming operational, guaranteeing institutions a series of benefits, such as greater quality when teaching classes in the distance learning modality (EAD) and easier activities in virtual laboratories.

“FURB's expectation is that this network will contribute to the continuity and stimulation of the national research network, boosting collaboration and expanding the construction of technical-scientific knowledge between institutions and the city, through connectivity, research and innovation ”, concluded Ana Lúcia Reis.

PARC-Blumenau
The Network was named PARC-Blumenau because it is part of the Aggregation Points program of the Catarinense Academic Network (PARC), a cooperation between RNP and Fapesc, which seeks to foster the creation of connections between institutions in municipalities in the interior of SC. The project is part of RNP's Community Metropolitan Networks for Education and Research Program (Redecomep), which implements connections in metropolitan regions and in cities in the country's interior interconnected by RNP's Points of Presence (PoPs).

In total, more than 555 consortium institutions in Brazil already use Redecomep, which has 44 optical networks. The total coverage of these networks has already surpassed the mark of 3,700 km of optical fiber throughout the country, guaranteeing access to the national and global research networks, through high-performance connections in the benefited cities. The networks are present in 27 capitals and 20 municipalities in the interior.

* With information from ASCOM of Blumenau City Hall.