Set up to connect Asia and Europe researchers with high speed connectivity TEIN3 connects 16 Asian countries representing almost 60% of the worlds population within a time zone range of only 5 hours.
The network has grown dramatically since the first regional network was established in January 2006. Initially the network connected 30 million users in East Asia and was then extended to South Asia in 2010 and has continued to grow.
TEIN3 is already supporting real-time interactive research collaborations. The network supports real-time collaboration across the region and has great future potential for growth. The areas of research and education using the TEIN3 network include telemedicine, natural hazard warning & environmental monitoring, climate forecasting and extreme weather prediction, bioinformatics research to improve response and mitigation of emerging infections, e-learning, agricultural research, e-culture and earth observation.
The network has accelerated new national research and education networks (NRENs) in the region, most recently in South Asia.
TEIN3 already connects researchers and academics in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Bangladesh and most recently Cambodia, and from the outset has been supported with funding from the European Commission. Through GANT, the pan-European research and education network, TEIN3 offers access to another 40 million users.
David West, Project manager for TEIN3 commented: 50M users is a major landmark for TEIN3 and demonstrates the value that governments and research and educational institutions in Asia place on improving research capabilities. The TEIN3 network is a key instrument for narrowing the digital divide by allowing developing countries to participate in global collaborative applications.