Global Crossing sign contract with HEAnet
A new deal has been announced between Global Crossing and HEAnet, the Irish research and education network.
The two-year contract will require Global Crossing to deliver Internet connectivity for HEAnet users across Ireland.
The agreement, believed to be the biggest Internet capacity deal in Ireland, will give HEAnet direct access to the Internet via Global Crossing's new Internet Protocol (IP) node in Dublin.
HEAnet's 150,000 users should have faster and more cost-effective links to the public internet, complementing HEAnet's strategic connections to other research and education networks in Europe, North America and the rest of the world.
The new agreement allocates 622 Mbps of capacity to HEAnet, but allows for peak traffic loads of up to three times that amount, enabling users to have uninterrupted service regardless of the amount of packets being sent across the network.
Besides delivering more bandwidth to HEAnet users, Global Crossing's solution should deliver cost and technical benefits, as it will eliminate the need to backhaul traffic into London in order to access the internet.
Global Crossing's global IP-based network, reaches 27 countries and more than 200 major cities around the globe.
Its IP node is located at its second point of presence (PoP) in Dublin.
The commissioning of this IP node is designed to accelerate the development of high capacity network services in Ireland as it gives Irish Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other businesses direct access to Global Crossing's global Internet Access Services, removing the need to backhaul traffic to PoPs in other locations.
HEAnet was set up in 1984 by the seven major universities to promote the interchange of information electronically within third level education.
