Broadband Communication Network ...

Broadband Communication Network of Kuyavia and Pomerania Region (K-PSI) was founded as a result of co-operation of 3 entities: Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun and University of Technology and Agriculture in Bydgoszcz (November 2002). The main priority of K-PSI defined by its founders, is to build modern, broadband infrastructure in the region, which is crucial for its development, boosting its attractiveness and improving competitiveness.

The main directions for building Broadband Communication Network are highlighted in the Regional Strategy of Innovation of Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship. The concept also conforms to the priorities indicated in other national and European strategic documents on developing broadband infrastructure, such as: e-Europe 2002 – An Information Society for All, e-Poland – Action Plan on Developing Information Society in Poland in 2001-2006. In particular, it refers to the issue of building the Information Society infrastructure. However, on defining the project, a possibility of making use of already existing infrastructure (built on a basis of academic and scientific PIONIER programme) was taken into consideration.

The key challenge of K-PSI, which is our mission, is to stimulate development of Information Society in Kuyavia and Pomerania Region. To realize it, technical support will be provided in order to build information and communication infrastructure in the region. In other words, our goal is to achieve the objectives set in “ePoland – Action Plan”, such as:

development of information infrastructure in Kuyavia and Pomerania Region
common and affordable access to Internet resources (applications and services)
more effective use of information and communication technologies

The programme of K-PSI focuses on areas such as:

providing the inhabitants of the region with common access to broadband services by building a distribution node in each county of the region
providing conceptual and organizational support to any existing or emerging database system
providing technical support for IT services
co-operation with regional universities and authorities in the fields of:

o distance learning – ensuring equal educational opportunities in the region

o teleworking – leading to new ways of employment and thus better employability

o telemedicine – improving the quality and increasing the effectiveness of healthcare services

o environment monitoring – ensuring a secure environment

o supporting the development of regional network by implementing new technologies and IT related solutions

initiatives to minimize the obstacles to Information Society development, including:

o cost reductions in telecommunication services – with the help of non-profit undertakings

o achieving more equal standards of development of IT infrastructure – by offering telecommunication and network services to local telecom operators

o cost reductions in networks building – by ensuring main public administration entities (libraries, schools, museums) preferential access to networks

o eliminating educational barriers – by co-operation with educational environment at all levels

o overcoming social barriers (low-income society) to the use of modern communication networks – by benefiting from the European Union financial support (Structural Funds) based on the Integrated Regional Operational Programme

encouraging activity of local society and government authorities resulting in more common use of IT.

The main field of action of K-PSI includes:

building and exploitation of non-profit communication network for public administration, schools, hospitals, libraries, public emergency institutions
providing partner institutions and organizations (mostly the Regional Networks of: Telemedicine, Libraries, GIS, Innovation Centers, Enterprise Development Centers,) with support in order to facilitate access to IT and related services.

The strategy of building K-PSI network puts emphasis on:

co-operation with PIONIER network
co-operation with municipal TORMAN and BYDMAN networks
using the existing fibre optic networks of public telecom operators
providing support for building local area networks in counties and communes in order to build up the regional structure
further investment in IT infrastructure

In the process of implementation of our project, the most modern available technologies will be used to build up the network, including the wireless Ethernet technology (WLAN) as a main solution that will prove beneficial in rural areas.

In the first step of our activity (in 2003), we achieved particular goals:

organizing Regional Network Management Centre in Torun
providing particular public institutions in Wloclawek with broadband connections (The Higher Vocational State School in Wloclawek, The College of Computer Science, the Voivodship Hospital, the Regional Department of Cartography Documentation, the Firestation Office)
implementing data transmission between the Medical University of Bydgoszcz and particular hospitals in the region – Regional Telemedicine Network
technical project and feasibility study on local area networks in 19 counties of Kuyavia and Pomerania Region in 2004-2006.

Targets achieved in 2004:

Full technical specification of the project „Building of regional broadband network in Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship”
Submitting application for the „Integrated Regional Operational Programme 1.5.” call
Defining action plan for Telemedicine Network in Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship
Drawing up „Programme of Development of Information Society in Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship”; the document approved by the Marshal of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship
„Kujawsko-Pomorski e-Region” conference – Torun, 28th October 2004

Targets achieved in 2005:

Configuring of skeleton of network - fiber optic cables connecting 19 county nodes).

Targets achieved in 2006:

Beginning II phase of investment - structure 144 nodes of access and distribution of link for all village in the area of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region.
Ensuring the common access to Internet on the rural areas and development of modern broadband services (e.g. eGovernment, eLearning, eHealth, eWork, eCommerce) at the regional and local level will stimulate the development and competetiveness of regions because ICT technologies support the changes in public administration. As a result, the institiutions can offer better and more effective on-line services. New trends in the development of ICT include also :
internet service offices or telecentres in which the citizens can take care of any interests,
modern ICT , which are more and more common in the daily private and professional life (e.g. digital interactive TV sets, 3G networks, chip cards, and other digital equipment with the use of satellite and radio technology),
systems of transaction processing, which guarantee full access to the services of public sector (e.g. electronic tax collection, welfare benefit, registration of vehicles, fill in the applications for passports and driving licences, support of the domestic safety, border protection, control of defence logistics and access to medical data)

In preparation for the next financial perspective 2007-2013, according to “e-Strategy of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship”, there is the project of development of Regional Information Platform which will support:

e-Business,
modern services of e-Administration;
e-Health
Geographical Information System (regional platform);
Education in the favor at Information Society..

In our activities to build a competitive region based on information, we will look for new solutions of how to cover the region with the infrastructure and content (services, applications, data) and operate it through the network

Innovation of K-PSI network

Broadband Communicating Network of Kuyavia and Pomerania Region is the first and the biggest innovative regional ICT project in Poland.
Stimulating the innovation politics involves efficient system of exchanging information. The implemented infastructure of broadband regional network, which ensures the high quality access to the multimedial data sources and electronically provided services, will realize key activities in the Region of Kuyavia-Pomerania:
administrative ones - it will ensure the frame for the regional council network, connecting public administration entities as a part of eGovernment programme in the region,
educational ones - it will enable implementation of the regional teaching network, focused on the eLearning services,
improvement of the health service. Concurrently the K-PSI will be a basis for the implemented programme of building the telemedical network, as a part of the eHealth programme in the Kuyavia and Pomerania Region,
stimulating the economic revive.

Telecommunication network

The K-PSI network, which is now under construction, will have the shape of hierarchic network including two basic parts:

frame network which consists of frame layer (skeleton), connecting main cities of the region, and distributional layer, connecting frame nodes with distributional nodes which are located in county cities;
access layer, connecting distributional nodes (in counties) with the access nodes located in the rural areas.

According to the recommendations, the frame layer will consist of optical fibre network, connecting the nodes which are located in the main cities of the region: Bydgoszcz, Torun, Grudziadz, Inowroclaw, Wloclawek. The installed routers in the mentioned nodes of frame layer will move the motion from/to nodes which belong to the distributional part, as well as that will be functioning as end nodes for metropolital networks and for counties in which they`ll be installed. A significant benefit of such solution is obtaining homogeneous, independent network, with the parameters which enable fulfiling current and future requirements of users, and-what is of great importance-independent of other Operators. In this case the management, maintenance and control of the designed network will be easy. Distributional layer means such a part of the frame network which connects the highest in hierarchy nodes with the nodes located in the counties, in some economic justified cases in communes as well.

For the execution of the network working exclusively with the IP report, it was approved that the construction of the network would be carried out with the support of Gigabit Ethernet technology.
When analysing the solution, based on the IP technology, all mentioned before services were taken into consideration. These services will be integrated part of the system, necessary for efficient carrying out all the applications, executing by the K-PSI.

Among the main strategic documents related to K-PSI project there are:

"National Broadband Strategy for the years 2004-2006" (Ministry of Scientific Research and Information Technology, 23.12.2003)
"e-Poland – the Strategy on the Development of the Information Society in Poland for the years 2004-2006" (Ministry of Scientific Research and Information Technology, December 2003)
"Strategy on the Development of Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship" (Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship Authorities, July 2000)
"Regional Strategy on the Innovation in Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship" (Kuyavia and Pomerania Voivodship Authorities, 2001)

Broadband Communication Network of Kuyavia and Pomerania Region is the first regional ICT project in Poland, as a result of the Voivodship and regional Universities’ (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun and University of Technology and Agriculture of Bydgoszcz) co-operation, which mostly aims at providing common access to broadband Internet, as a base for the implementation of the following applications and services:

e-government
e-learning
e-health

The K-PSI project was regarded by Ministry of Economy and Labour as a model project in the country and recommended as the model one for other regions by the Department of Structural Politics Coordination and German-French Twinning Project in the Ministry of Economy and Labour (March 2005). The K-PSI project got the support from the Ministry of Infrastructure within the confines of Agreement of Cooperation with the Voivodship of Kuyavia and Pomerania (February 2005). European Regional Information Society Association (eris@) on its General Assemby Meeting in Lille, 12 June 2005 ratified the application for membership of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodship and active contribution to Innovative Action Network Information Society (IANIS+).