Category: ARENA-PAC

On 14 August 2025, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) officially joined the ARENA-PAC network operated by the WIDE Project at 100Gbps, marking a major step forward for research and education collaboration. The launch ceremony at USM’s Eureka Complex brought together university leaders, industry partners, and colleagues from across the Asia Pacific community.

Among the participants were Professor Jun Murai (Keio University, Director of ARENA-PAC) and Professor Keiko Okawa (Director, SOI Asia), reflecting the close ties between USM, ARENA-PAC, and SOI Asia in building resilient infrastructures for knowledge sharing.

Representatives from APNIC (the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, and an important collaborator of the APIE Program) and the APNIC Foundation (which supports SOI Asia’s ativities) also attended, underscoring the collaborative effort behind this milestone.

The launch also coincided with the APIE Camp hosted by USM that week, and camp participants were invited to join the ceremony, offering students a unique opportunity to witness how regional partnerships and advanced networks are put into practice.

The occasion carried both a celebratory and forward-looking spirit. In his keynote, Professor Murai reflected on how the Internet grew from open standards and shared resources, and how ARENA-PAC continues this tradition by enabling institutions to collaborate across borders. USM Vice-Chancellor Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed emphasized the benefits for researchers: faster data transfers, more dynamic collaboration, and new opportunities to deliver global impact.

Why this matters for SOI Asia

The launch of this high-capacity link is not only a milestone for USM but also a contribution to the broader SOI Asia network. Through ARENA-PAC, partners across the region gain improved access to global research and education networks, while also strengthening efforts to develop or promote national research and education networks (NRENs) in their respective economies.

One institution’s progress becomes an opportunity for many, reinforcing the value of collective effort and shared infrastructure.

Looking ahead

As USM begins to take advantage of this new capacity, new collaborations are expected to emerge in areas ranging from climate science and medicine to engineering, cybersecurity, and beyond. The launch stands as a reminder that stronger connections open the door to new knowledge, discoveries, and communities that span borders.

Congratulations to USM on this achievement — and to the wider community that will benefit from it in the years to come.

News release on ARENA-PAC website: https://www.arena-pac.net/2025/08/25/arena-pac-launches-100-gbps-network-to-usm-accelerating-global-research-collaboration/

News release on the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) website: https://news.usm.my/index.php/english-news/11825-usm-launches-100gbps-arena-pac-network-connection-accelerating-global-research-collaboration

On September 17, 2024, SOI Asia partners Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and ARENA-PAC signed an agreement to develop a 100Gbps Research and Education Network for Malaysia. This partnership is expected to transform high-speed connectivity for academic and research institutions nationwide and potentially benefit the broader Asia-Pacific region.

For further information, please refer to the following link:

Press Release (Full):
https://www.arena-pac.net/2024/09/23/aren-pac-agreement-malaysia/?swcfpc=1

On December 8, 2023, SOI Asia Project collaborated with the research and education networks (RENs) community to support a joint live music session between the University of Philippines, Diliman (UPD) in Manila, and Keio University, Japan, at a 3,000km distance.

Tuguma, a music team at the UPD, College of Music, played Philipino music with Daniel Matthew Santos, a Filipino musician, playing guitar at Keio University (KEIO), Japan over a Research and Education Network (REN) backbone. Tuguma at the UPD played the Filipino Traditional Instrument “Tongatong” (Stamping Tube)  and sang Filipino folk songs: Entay Ganaganasen, Dong Dong Ay and Itetem from the Cordillera regions of the Philippines, along with Daniel’s guitar playing at KEIO.

This performance demonstrated possible future collaborative activities among students and researchers in universities in the Philippines to the world, utilizing this high-speed and low-latency connectivity provided by RENs.

Both Tokyo and Manila sites used Yamaha’s Syncroom for audio communication. Network connectivity between the two sites is supported by SINET, GXP-TOKYO, ARENA-PAC, MAFFIN, and PREGINET, in addition to both University campus networks.

• SINET (Tokyo – KEIO) – an information and communication network built and operated by the National Institute of Informatics (NII)
• MAFFIN (Tokyo – Manila) – a high-performance research network built and operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)
• ARENA-PAC (Tokyo – Manila via Guam) – a backbone network for research and education operated by WIDE Project
• PREGINET (Manila – UPD) – the only REN in the Philippines, which interconnects and catalyzes research among academic, government, and research institutions, established by the Department of Science and Technology Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) 

Through the cooperation of these RENs, we ensured that redundant routes between the two sites and achieved a resilient research and educational environment for future collaborations.

This session was also introduced at the 3rd Joint PREGINET and COARE Stakeholders’ Meeting on 13 December 2023 in Pasay City, Philippines.

Keio University and University of Brawijaya Unveiled Indonesia’s First 8K Uncompressed Video Conference

On August 9, 2023, SOI Asia’s partner ARENA-PAC, a broadband backbone network with the purpose of research and education operated by the WIDE Project, Universitas Brawijaya (UB) and Indonesia Research and Education Network (IDREN) held a ceremony at UB and Keio University connected using an 8K uncompressed video conference to mark the operation of a 100 Gbps high-speed network for research and education in Indonesia.

The R&E representatives and students on both sides witnessed the operational inauguration of ARENA-PAC Indonesia 100 Gbps circuit with a technological exhibition of an 8K Uncompressed Audio-Video Bi-directional Streaming ~ 50 Gbps, between Keio University at Hiyoshi Campus in Japan and Universitas Brawijaya’s main campus in Malang, Indonesia. 

The 100 Gbps ARENA-PAC network which connects IDREN with UB as its gateway is expected to contribute greatly to international research collaboration in Indonesia in the future. For further information, please refer to the following link.

Press Release (Full): https://www.arena-pac.net/inaugurates-100gbps-network-for-education-at-ub/

ARENA-PAC WEB: https://www.arena-pac.net/

On November 15, 2022, ARENA-PAC, a broadband backbone network with the purpose of research and education operated by the WIDE Project, and the Philippines Department of Science and Technology Institute (DOST) signed an MoU that would link the Philippine Research, Education and Government Information Network (PREGINET) to a global NREN hub located in Guam, in order to connect the country to the ARENA-PAC.

This new process of ARENA-PAC, working with DOST-ASTI for high-speed additional internet connectivity, is a starting point of the next phase of contribution to the advanced science and technology development not limited to the Asia Pacific region but also the global research and education community. For further information, please refer to the following link.

Press Release (Full): https://www.arena-pac.net/signed-agreement-to-enhance-collaboration-with-philippines-nren/

ARENA-PAC WEB: https://www.arena-pac.net/

APOnet WEB:  http://www.aponet.global/

ARENA-PAC, Brawijaya University, and IDREN Agree to Collaborate on 100 Gbps Network for Research and Education

On August 31, 2022, ARENA-PAC, a broadband backbone network for which the APRS (Asia Pacific Resilient Society) Working Group of CCRC serves as the secretariat, Universitas Brawijaya (UB), and Indonesia Research and Education Network (IDREN) signed an MoU agreeing to cooperate in the operation and development of a high-speed network, namely 100 Gbps, for research and education activities.

The signing of the MoU was held on the sidelines of the G20 Digital Economy Ministers Meeting in Bali, witnessed by Minister of Communication and Informatics Johnny G. Plate and Minister for Digital Transformation of Japan Kono Taro. The 100 Gbps ARENA-PAC network which connects IDREN with UB as its gateway is a huge leap forward for Indonesia, with speeds 100 times greater than the current network. For further information, please refer to the following link.

Press Release (Full) is (CLICK Here)

ARENA-PAC WEB
APOnet WEB

ARENA-PAC, a broadband backbone network for which the APRS (Asia Pacific Resilient Society) Working Group of CCRC serves as the secretariat, collaborated with several APOnet members, including the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), to ensure uninterrupted connectivity in the Asia Pacific region by mutually supplementing network interruptions caused by maintenance and inspections that occur at various locations.

APOnet, a consortium of twelve leading-edge research and education networks in North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, and this project reaffirmed the importance of regional collaboration represented by the APOnet framework. ARENA-PAC continues to collaborate with APOnet members to improve high-speed network services in the Asia Pacific Oceania region. For further information, please refer to the following link.

Press Release (Full): https://www.arena-pac.net/arena-pac_contributes_to_ensure_uninterrupted_connectivity/

ARENA-PAC WEB: https://www.arena-pac.net/

APOnet WEB:  http://www.aponet.global/

New 100-gigabits circuit from Guam to Singapore contributes a critical path and boosts resiliency for the region’s research and education network fabric

ARENA-PAC, a broadband backbone network for which a project operated by WIDE Project, has joined Guam–Singapore Connectivity Consortium and the consortium announced new high-speed connectivity in support of data-intensive science in the Asia Pacific Oceania Region. The consortium – comprising Internet2 and International Networks at Indiana University (IN@IU) in the United States, Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet), and the Arterial Research and Educational Network in the Asia Pacific (ARENA-PAC) – has acquired a 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) circuit between Guam and Singapore through a 15-year agreement. SingAREN in Singapore and the University of Hawaii are contributing connectivity at the exchange points they operate.

The connection marks a major milestone in securing a trans-Pacific network topology for research and education (R&E), providing critical capacity and resiliency in the network fabric that connects the R&E community across three continents: Asia, North America, and Oceania. For further information, please refer to the following link.

More on ARENA-PAC can be found at the following.:
ARENA-PAC Press Release (Full): https://www.arena-pac.net/ja/guam-singapore-connectivity-consortium-pr/
ARENA-PAC WEB: https://www.arena-pac.net/

The Arterial Research and Educational Network in Asia-Pacific (ARENA-PAC) is a new regional backbone network of high-capacity international submarine cable circuits, serving NRENs at multiple locations in the Asia Pacific region. ARENA-PAC is a project of the Asia Pacific Internet Development Trust (APIDT) Infrastructure Pty Ltd, operated by WIDE Project and started in 2020.

On June 17, 2021, ARENA-PAC joined APOnet: Asia Pacific Oceania Network, to collaborate in providing high-speed network services in Asia Pacific Oceania region. APOnet was established by eleven global leading-edge research and education networks in North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. 

Utilizing APOnet’s knowledge, data, and scientific instruments across national boundaries, AI³/SOI Asia will pursue further collaboration to elevate the services available for research and education across all collaborating networks.  

More on ARENA-PAC can be found at the following.:
ARENA-PAC Press Release (Full): https://www.arena-pac.net/?p=1
ARENA-PAC WEB: https://www.arena-pac.net/
APOnet WEB:  http://www.aponet.global/