From 9 December 2010 the hybrid network will be accessible in Hungary. The launch of the hybrid system which enables traditional internet and state-of-the-art dynamic point-point connections marks a milestone in Hungary’s information technology history. The country’s most advanced and highest capacity optical network was implemented following years of research and based on the technical expertise of the reputed Hungarian National Information Infrastructure Development Institute, with the deployment of the most advanced global technologies.

NIIFI, the developer and operator of the hybrid network announced the Hungarian launch at a network inauguration ceremony. The key message at the ceremony was that we have again joined global front-runners. Modernity and cost-effectiveness are of outmost importance and future technologies have the full support of the government– emphasized Dr. Zsolt Nyitrai, Minister of State for Infocommunications in his speech at the ceremony.

Within the framework of the NIIF Program the development and operation of the IT background for the Hungarian academic, research and public collection community have been executed by NIIFI over the last 20 years. With the launch of the hybrid network the research and academic information infrastructure has entered a new era. The IT background for Hungarian academic and research will create significant opportunities even by international comparison. The development enables access via the most advanced technologies for Hungarian academic, research and public collection communities, university professors and students to reach the GÉANT system, connecting researchers worldwide. Thus it will open access to research resources, experimental tools, supercomputer capacities, research information data warehouses, tools for tele-research collaboration, and specific high-performance equipment in the world (e.g. CERN accelerator and processing centres, etc.).

The hybrid network, which is fundamental with regard to the international recognition of Hungarian research activities and the country’s competitiveness, was developed based on ‘dark fibre’ infrastructure using DWDM technology to ensure the highest possible transmission capacity.

The hybrid network bandwidth can be upgraded cost-effectively to fulfil the special high-speed communications requirements of researchers. With the deployment of the hybrid data network we have established world class IT background for national academic and research communities, said Miklós Nagy Director General of NIIFI. Dynamic lambda service will be made available to end users and Hungary is the first in the CEE region to have 40 Gbps technology as a result of the development. From 2011 the testing of 100 Gbps and IPoDWDM technologies will also become possible.

The hybrid academic and research data network development is part of the HBONE+ electronic infrastructure development project implemented by NIIFI in 2009-2011, funded from NFT2 (New Hungary Development Plan) and EU sources. The hybrid network development constitutes half of the HUF 4.2 billion HBONE+ project.