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From: Lishan Adam <lishan_adam@PADIS.GN.APC.ORG> To: Multiple recipients of list AFRIK-IT <AFRIK-IT@IRLEARN.UCD.IE> Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 09:14:26 +0000 Hi all, I was in Eritrea a week ago. I get regular request about connectivity there. Here is the assessment for your information. I suggest those interested in Eriteran networking contact Robert Van Buskirk (robert@punchdown.org) for progress report on Eritrean e-mail project. Regards. Lishan Assessment of Networking situation in Eritrea Eritrea while rebuilding the war thorn infrastructure is also trying to set up networking. Various efforts are already in place to develop the infrastructure for IP connection. Healthnet, EISAnet, Adalnet and the Eritrean Technical Exchange are all involved in building local connectivity. Healthnet (contact: Berhane Abraha, P.O.Box 221, tel. +291 1 120877, Fax: +291 1 122899, <support@eri.healthnet.org>) was installed in April 1994. It is operational to date though there is no adequate plan to expand its user base. An expansion plan to cover health institutions in the country and aggressive introduction of electronic mail to health professionals is becoming critical. Adalnet is being run by Beshir Computec (conact: Beshir Computec, P.O.Box 2005, Tel: +291 1 120343, fax: +291 1 120391 <Beshir@adal.gn.apc.org>) is a Fido node supported by PADISnet in Addis Ababa. It is operational since 1994. A one time a day poll between Asmara and Addis takes place in the evening (both Eritera and Ethiopia are on same time zone). The connection is often unreliable due to bad telephone switching between the two countries. The Eritrean Information Systems Agency (EISA) (contact: Tewolde Gebreab, Director, EISA, P.O.Box 1141, Tel. 291 1118709,fax, 291 1 120650 , <sysop@eisa.gn.apc.org>) a government information and telematic policy and implementation organ directed by the President's office. EISA completed a master plan to improve the application of information and communication technologies in Eritrea. The master plan also aims to build a Wide Area Network between various government institutions. The ultimate goal of the master plan is to develop a local network that can be linked to a full TCP/IP connection. EISA is coordinating local networking and IP connectivity in Eritrea. The Eritrean Technical Exchange (ETE) (contact: Robert Van Buskirk, Department of Energy, P.O.Box 5285, Asmara, <postmaster@eritrea.punchdown.org>) is the major service provider at the moment. ETE is running a uucp link. A linux pc server is installed both at the Department of Energy and Asmara university to handle the network traffic. ETE connects to San Francisco, CA (Eritera Technical Exchange, 110 Clayton St. San Francisco, CA 94117, <ete@punchdown.org>). The user interface is a variant of uupc which is in the process of upgrade to more user friendly utility. SNUUPM is considered at the moment. ETE connects over 35 institutions in Eritrea and plans to develop the user base that sustains full connectivity once EISA links to TCP/IP. Given the size of the country there is a general consensus to collaborate towards a full IP link. EISA is considering a setting up of another linux server for supporting the government traffic while a new commercial traffic carrier is under discussion.
