A non-profit satellite based computer network system for academic information exchange in Asia-Pacific region

We introduce a nonprofit satellite based academic computer network, the PARTNERS computer network, that aims to bring the Internet within the reach of the Asia-Pacific region. The PARTNERS computer network is a part of the PARTNERS project, launched by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications in 1991. In the PARTNERS project, an experimental satellite-based communications network was established for academic information exchange and dispersion of satellite communications technology in the Asia-Pacific region. The aim of this project is not only to develop communication infrastructure and technology, but also to promote mutual understanding among Asia-Pacific countries. Presently, the participants include King Mongkut´s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) in Thailand, the Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) in Indonesia, the University of Technology (UNITEC) in Papua New Guinea, the University of South Pacific (USP) in Fiji, the University of Hawaii (PEACESAT) in the USA, and several other nodes inside Japan. The technical issues, experiments and future plans are discussed.<>