Local Connections: New partnership to enhance Internet connectivity for uOttawa and region

May 18, 2021

The University of Ottawa announced today that it is partnering with the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and the Ottawa-Gatineau Internet Exchange (OGIX) to bring faster, and more robust internet to the University and the region by hosting an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) at our Central Data Centre.

By hosting a network-neutral local Internet meeting point, where network operators can interconnect their networks to exchange Internet traffic, the speed and delivery of Internet-based services to the campus and the region will be dramatically improved.

“We are very proud that the University of Ottawa will be a key location for interconnectivity in the region through this collaboration,” said Martin Bernier, Chief Information Officer. “This internet exchange makes us a more connected university. It creates new opportunities for collaboration and innovation by giving our students and researchers more direct and efficient access to the tools, resources and information that enable discoveries and innovation.”

This is the second of the two nodes that OGIX has planned for the National Capital Region. By using locally-hosted infrastructure to support traffic exchange in the region, this brings reduced latency and high-speed connectivity through direct interconnection of networks that do not have to cross borders. This local interconnection model helps improve data sovereignty and security.

“This partnership is another positive step towards the localization of interconnection services. We are keeping our internet traffic in Canada as much as possible, which improves the quality and efficiency of services both locally and national,” said Christian Tacit, OGIX board chair. “Through this IXP, uOttawa will provide new distributed capacity and high availability resources to the National Capital Region.”

The essential nature of an IXP is to facilitate economic and social activity. As a champion of Canada’s IXP network, CIRA lauded the partnership and its potential benefits for Canada and the City, “The addition of the University of Ottawa hub to Canadian internet ecosystem further strengthens the integrity and reliability for local users. This local hub makes it more attractive for global players and businesses to partner with the University and the region,” added Jacques Latour, Chief Technology Officer of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority.

About OGIX

National Capital Internet Exchange, operating as Ottawa-Gatineau Internet exchange (OGIX), is a not-for profit corporation that was incorporated in 2018. With the assistance of a dedicated group of volunteers, at both the board and operational levels, as well as a number of sponsors and other community supporters, OGIX has been working towards the deployment of an IXP in the National Capital Region. For updates on our activities and launch timetable, please visit our website www.ogix.ca. Early sponsors of the organization: include; Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN), Internet Society, Storm Internet Services, Tacit Law and TekSavvy Solutions Inc.

About the Canadian Internet Registration Authority

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. CIRA also develops technologies and services—such as CIRA DNS Firewall and CIRA Canadian Shield—that help support its goal of building a better online Canada. The CIRA team operates one of the fastest-growing country code top-level domains (ccTLD), a high-performance global DNS network, and one of the world’s most advanced back-end registry solutions.

About the University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe.

Media enquiries:

media@uottawa.ca

chair@ogix.ca

Source: https://media.uottawa.ca/news/local-connections-new-partnership-enhance-internet-connectivity-uottawa-and-region

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Local Connections: New partnership to enhance Internet connectivity for uOttawa and region