At the Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FIT CTU), the network classroom underwent modernization and now bears the name CDN77 Network Hub. The innovation was made possible thanks to the faculty’s cooperation with the Czech technology company CDN77, a silver partner of FIT CTU, which has long been committed to supporting education in the field of networking and the internet. The new equipment allows students to work with current technologies and better prepare for real-world practice.
The opening of the modernized classroom took place on 21 November 2025 with representatives of FIT CTU and CDN77 in attendance. They introduced students to how technologies for delivering digital content around the world work in practice. During the class, students had the opportunity to meet industry experts and gain insight into the functioning of the global internet infrastructure. The opening remarks and words of thanks to CDN77 were delivered by Ing. Jan Janoušek, Ph.D., Dean of FIT CTU.
The goal of the event was to present the new modern equipment of the network laboratory, which the faculty obtained thanks to CDN77’s support, and to showcase how it will be used in teaching and student projects to better prepare students for real-life applications. The event also offered practical inspiration and a chance to meet company representatives who themselves are graduates of FIT CTU.
The classroom has been newly equipped with ISR 1100-4G routers, WS-C3850-24T switches, and ASA FirePower 1010 firewalls, devices commonly used in large data centers and networks for digital content delivery.
Jiří Szkandera from CDN77, a FIT CTU graduate, showed students how video travels from a broadcast studio to the end user and what factors affect its playback quality. With a practical demonstration, he illustrated how different approaches to data transmission (so-called congestion control algorithms) determine whether a video starts instantly and plays smoothly or whether it stutters.
Fedor Kanin from CDN77, also a FIT CTU graduate, focused on the fact that operating a global network is not just about transmitting data but also about monitoring and evaluating its state. He introduced students to systems that collect and analyze operational data to detect problems in time and improve service reliability and speed.
“Thanks to our partnership with CDN77, students can see how the theory we cover in class translates into the real-world operation of modern computer networks. It’s great when the academic environment connects with practice – students understand the context better, and at the same time meet people who actually work in the field,” says Ing. Jan Fesl, Ph.D., head of the Computer Networks research group.
Each router and switch in the room has its own humorous technical label, and on the back wall hangs a large-format map titled ‘Submarine Cables 101’, showing how the entire world is connected by submarine fiber-optic cables.
“Collaboration with FIT CTU is crucial for us – many of our best people come from this faculty, so we see the quality of its students firsthand,” says Vladimír Hlocký from the CDN77 marketing team. “Nowadays, you cannot expect that a talented graduate will find a job just through a recruitment portal. People need to get to know a company earlier – both technologically and in terms of values. That’s why our long-term partnership with CTU is so valuable to us,” he adds.
CDN77 is a Czech technology company operating a global infrastructure for digital content delivery. Every day, it delivers more than 420 PB of data, 90% of which is video. The company is one of the so-called “unicorns” — privately held firms valued at over one billion dollars.
