Abstract
The aim of this paper is to show some results from a Foresight study related to future trends about advanced technology services of National Research and Education Networks (NREN). The approach of this study was conducted by using Foresight methods, which means: a planning process in order to obtain the definition of the exercise scope, the establishment of relevant aspects for asking international experts about the aim of this Foresight study. These experts are directors of several NREN around the world. The main result concludes, among other things, that more network services are being built to provide dark fibber links to users, increasing the flexibility and agility in the delivery of new and better services. It is a trend that will continue and that should be encouraged. Also, collaborations with mobile service providers should be established to offer academically innovative solutions to users. Other results show that there is a potential, which opens the participation of non-university hospitals for remote care in the health sector. This is corroborated in the expert’s opinion to qualify for being of high importance for the connectivity of hospitals and clinics. The results of this study are useful for any NREN around the world, but especially they have been used as input for the Colombian NREN.
Highlights
Understanding emerging megatrends and trends has always been a vital issue for industries, for value networks and for the clusters of various industry branches, because big and rapid scientific and technological advances in continuous growth fields have been generated by a clear dynamism within the global competitiveness and by searching for new knowledge frontiers [1].The development and innovation in telecommunications contribute increasingly to the educational evolution through the use of services and technological tools
Expert’s consultation An on-line survey was performed to explore experts opinions based on the previous results about the future trends of National Research and Education Networks (NREN) advanced services which are listed on section BResults related to pre-Foresight^
The trends obtained after benchmarking and prioritization process by the CEO and academic manager of the Colombian NREN were: 1. Develop innovative applications which will be tested in academic institutions, companies or pilot projects
Summary
The development and innovation in telecommunications contribute increasingly to the educational evolution through the use of services and technological tools. The NRENs are physical telecommunication networks of high speed, unique in each country and independent from the commercial internet. They are designed to be an essential infrastructure for the development of education and research in a country, facilitating the reliable, efficient and cost-effective exchange of computer resources through services for communication and collaboration among researchers. The orientation to use telecommunications for educational purposes already generates research works, commercial products and adapted services, and they become a hinge element for collaboration and scientific development of all countries.
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