Breaking Down Barriers Between the Center and the Regions: Prof. Nana Rachmana Syambas Encourages University Synergy for a Digital Future
Bandung, stei.itb.ac.id – Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) conducted a visit to Universitas Pasifik (Unipas) Pulau Morotai as part of community service activities, while also fulfilling an invitation to deliver a public lecture. This activity became an important momentum in strengthening cooperation between universities in central and regional areas.
The public lecture was attended by the Rector of Unipas, Irfan Hi. Abd. Rahman, S.T., M.T., along with the rectorate, deans, and lecturers from various faculties. Their presence reflected full support for this cross-campus academic activity. From ITB, Prof. Nana Rachmana Syambas attended together with a group of his doctoral students originating from various institutions, including Telkom University Bandung, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Universitas Teknokrat Indonesia Lampung, and UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung.
The public lecture delivered by Prof. Nana carried the theme “Future Network and Trends.” In his presentation, he explained the evolution of communication technology, starting from telephone services as the initial foundation of telecommunications, transitioning to the internet that utilized telephone networks for data transmission, and progressing to fiber-optic technology, which has now become the backbone of high-speed networks.
In addition to wired networks, wireless technology has also experienced major leaps, ranging from Wi-Fi to cellular networks from 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, and moving toward 6G. Prof. Nana emphasized that the role of communication technology is now crucial not only for access speed, but also for supporting the reliability of critical applications such as autonomous vehicles and industrial automation.
Furthermore, he introduced the concept of Content Delivery Networks (CDN) as well as a new paradigm of content-based networking, namely Content-Centric Networking (CCN), using the Named Data Networking (NDN) approach. Although still operating on top of TCP/IP, NDN development is being directed toward specific applications, including vehicular networks and video services that require low latency.
The atmosphere of the public lecture was highly interactive. Students from various faculties actively posed critical questions, not only related to technical aspects, but also social and economic dimensions. The questions covered issues of the digital economy, government governance of personal data, and technical details related to NDN. This reflected the enthusiasm and critical thinking of Unipas students from diverse backgrounds.
On this occasion, Prof. Nana also presented plans for implementing CDN technology to support the quality of education in regional areas, particularly in Morotai. With this technology, educational content can be stored locally so that access does not fully depend on central internet infrastructure. The initial implementation scheme will begin at SMKS Bumi Moro. This effort aligns with ITB’s long-standing commitment to actively building cooperation in research, teaching, and human resource development with various partners both domestically and internationally.
In closing the public lecture, Prof. Nana expressed his appreciation for the quality of human resources in Morotai. According to him, the potential of students in regional areas is no less than those in central areas, and differences often lie only in facility support. He even mentioned the great potential derived from the consumption of fresh fish rich in omega-3, which is a common habit of the Morotai community, including children, as a contributing factor to cognitive development.
“Learning can come from anyone and anywhere. Universities in the regions understand the specific problems in their areas, while universities in the center have broad access to global knowledge. Both can complement each other to find the right solutions,” said Prof. Nana in his closing remarks.
Through this public lecture, it is hoped that the relationship between ITB and Universitas Pasifik Pulau Morotai will become even stronger, opening wider opportunities for collaboration and delivering tangible benefits to society, both in central and regional areas.