Progress of network experiments in research collaboration between NTT Laboratories and the University of Chile: AccessNova

NTT Laboratories and the University of Chile have been conducting experiments using a telecommunications network built between Japan and Chile in a research collaboration framework called AccessNova (which means new access). This network evolved from the 1996 N-ISDN connection between Japan and Chile. In 1997 two multimedia remote conferences were held using a 384-kbit/s international leased line. In 1998, multicast Internet experiments were conducted for remote education applications. In 2001, NTT Laboratories and the University of Chile established a 2-Mbit/s broadband network between Tokyo and Santiago by obtaining access to Abilene, the backbone network of Internet2 in the U.S., from Tokyo and Santiago. Besides obtaining valuable experimental data, we have also shown the effectiveness of the real-time communications between these two most distant countries. This article reports on the past activities, focusing on experiments using the telecommunications network, and presents the future prospects of AccessNova.