High telecoms charges damaging EU efforts to boost networking

Brussels, 29-04-1997 In this second part of a news feature (first appeared in our March issue), Thierry Van der Pyl, chief of High Performance Computing R&D in the European Commission warns of the damage high telecoms charges are doing to EU efforts to boost networking. He talks further about HPCN's role in the next EU R&D programme which will merge the current Telematics, ACTS telecoms and Esprit R&D programmes into one "user friendly information society" programme. And Van der Pyl also describes how the commission is linking up with HPCN experts in the Far-East

Telecom trouble

Details are still to be finalised on the commission's technology targets for the next R&D programme set to begin 1998, the Esprit HPCN chief said.

But aside from a promise to lobby for the renewal of the TEN-34 broadband network test-bed jointly managed in Esprit and the EU's Van der Pyl said networking and tool development will be a priority.

'Systems are more and more distributed. We want to consider networking as a key element. This is the most advanced part of the work we do.

'We need to convince industry to start projects not only on the computing side but also networking. This is very difficult but we need to keep pace with the U.S,' he said.

'We have to carry on the next generation of the next tools. There's a need to go for object oriented programming for example.

Despite the increasing pace of liberalisation of EU telecoms markets in the EU, Van der Pyl sees Europe's current crippling telecoms prices as a major hindrance to high performance networking in the EU.

'Europe is five times more expensive than the U.S. for international connections. Even if it goes down it will go down gradually,' he said.

Still keeping an eye on U.S. efforts, Van der Pyl sees simulation technology and data mining as areas where the EU needs to keep up.

'The U.S. put an awful lot of work into building the next generation of simulation codes and data mining. We need to be present in these technologies,' he said.

The follow-up to the 2 bln ecu Esprit needs to focus on applications and boosting take- up of HPCN rather than large scale spending on the next generation of kit, he said.

'We have to be realistic. Where we are strong is the applications side of HPCN. Our programme can not only be to be pioneers. It has to be dedicated also to followers - that is to say users.

'We need a range of actions from the most advanced R&D to industrial take-up. But we must still not miss the advanced R&D. We need a strong European community on this side,' he said.

Chinese links

At the same time, Esprit is continuing to find partners outside the EU. In a bid to boost EU-links with centres of excellence outside the borders of the EU, the commission has joined forces with HPCN experts in Japan and China, Van der Pyl said.

'In China we have identified cooperation even on the hardware side that could be of interest. We are looking at the possibility of porting application codes onto low cost Chinese hardware platforms with a large IT firm called Downing Company [Chinese company],' he said.

Van der Pyl said ERCIM, a consortium of European research centres, is running a workshop to define what activities can be of 'mutual benefit'.

The EU is also keen to pick the brains of Japan's experts in the vector computer field, beginning in May with an EU-led workshop in the city of Kobe, he said. Esprit is already cooperating with Japanese firms on the production of semiconductor technology.

'They are the best at vector computing. The question is the future and the direction this is going to take,' the HPCN expert said.

'In Kobe the EU delegation will present them the results of out Europort [HPCN dissemination] project. The presentations will be by business rather than the commission. We would expect business links to be set up,' he said.

Peter Chapman