Consisting of six spinal crunodes they are formed into two encircling systems. One is centered on Peking, Tsinghua Universities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which are linked up by a broad band of 10G bytes and another rounding in Tsinghua University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications with a band of 2.5G bytes.

The establishment of this wideband network has, on the one hand, provided these institutes of higher learning with a sound platform to study on the key technology of a new generation of Internet and the fundamental theories in its application. And on the other it has also offered a network service and technological backup reserve for developing the theory of calculation by means of Internet and the research in the application of the high-speed network.

The total investment of NSFCnet, as told, came to a total of 26 million yuan, of which, 21 million from NSFC, and the rest from the Universities pooling together. The major project was started in October 1999, and completed within one year. The whole system linked up by a router of 2.5-10G bytes, with Tsinghua University taking up the charge, is supported with DWDM fiber transmission technology, which claims to be the most advanced technology in the world.

The NSFCnet is also called the "Next Generation Network", which up to now has been connected with American Internet II through a 20M band, with CERNET through a 100M band, and is ready to link up with the Asian network in future.

As reported, the three years expense of wire use is to be contributed by China Unicom and China Telecom.

(People's Daily 11/24/2000)