Tim Marshall, Ukerna CEO said: "The Janet network has become mission critical to a broad spectrum of stakeholders in UK research and education"
Work has been successfully completed to connect Welsh education and local government sectors on the Lifelong Learning Network for Wales to the new SuperJanet 5 (SJ5) network being rolled out across the UK by the United Kingdom Education and Research Networking Association (Ukerna).
This means that Wales will be among the first to benefit from the ever more innovative and cost-effective ways of enabling the creation and transfer of knowledge that SJ5 will provide, and ensure that opportunities for learning and progression are available to all.
Tim Marshall, Ukerna CEO said: "The Janet network has become mission critical to a broad spectrum of stakeholders in UK research and education.
"It can be found at the very heart of a diverse array of activities, from delivering e-learning and videoconferencing facilities to school children, hosting pioneering remote surgery techniques, to supporting research into global warming and the very beginning of life itself.
"SuperJanet 5 will ensure projects such as these, as well as many others, continue to benefit from a truly world-class communications network".
The improved network services of SJ5 will be delivered in Wales over the Lifelong Learning Network (LLN), which has been providing local government and schools with network services since it was rolled out in 2002.
Additionally, work currently being undertaken to migrate higher and further education establishments to the LLN is almost complete.
The migration of the LLN onto SJ5 will also provide increased bandwidth onto Janet and the internet and improved resilience with two independent links each running at more than two times the current connection speed.
Andrew Davies, minister for enterprise, innovation and networks said, "Wales is again setting the pace for ICT exploitation in the UK.
"The successful move to SJ5 along with ongoing projects such as Public Sector Broadband Aggregation and Fibrespeed, are proving the Welsh Assembly's commitment to ensuring that all people in Wales can benefit from world class ICT services and networks."
