News for and about the Internet2 community

[Dan Downing <>]

Statewide High Speed Internet Nearly Complete in Cleveland Area

News From OARnet
For more information contact:
Dan Downing
614-688-3949

 
COLUMBUS, Ohio – July 1, 2004 – The nation’s most extensive
high-speed fiber optic network dedicated to higher education and research
is nearly complete in Cleveland.  Equipment for the Third Frontier
Network (TFN) was installed last week at Cleveland State University and
Case Western Reserve University campuses, and the remaining Cleveland
area campuses will soon follow. The network is being built by OARnet, the
Ohio Supercomputer Center’s networking division.
 
TFN, supported in part by funding from the Ohio Board of Regents, will
link the state’s colleges and universities, community colleges, branch
campuses, K-12 Regional Service Agencies, and eventually district
locations to each other and to the Internet. With government, academic
and industry partners, TFN will position Ohio as a world leader in
networking technology and the knowledge economy.
 
Dominique Porter, Manager of Enterprise Networks for Cleveland State,
said her institution is excited about being connected to the new
network.  
 
“The TFN will provide Ohio with a truly amazing network that will enhance
research, education, and economic development within the state,” said
Porter. “The opportunities we are afforded by being connected to this
dedicated high-speed fiber optic network will help promote research and
collaboration within Cleveland and throughout the state.” 
 
OARnet also has a 20-year agreement with American Fiber Systems (AFS),
for optical fiber services in Cleveland. AFS is a leading nationwide
provider of metropolitan optical fiber networks. The optical fiber
agreement provides broadband connectivity throughout Greater Cleveland to
universities and research centers that will enhance TFN.
 
Colleges and universities that will connect to the Third Frontier Network
Cleveland Fiberloop include: Baldwin Wallace College, Case Western
Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Cleveland Institute of
Art, Cleveland Institute of Music, Cuyahoga Community College, David
Myers College, John Carroll University, Lakeland Community College, Lake
Erie College, Lorain County Community College, NASA Glenn Research
Center, Notre Dame College, Siegal College of Judaic Studies.
 
“Our goal is to optimize Ohio’s higher education and research
institutions’ ability to access high performance computing and Internet
applications by building a world-class optical fiber network that will
connect 91 colleges and universities throughout the state,” said TFN
Project Manager Denis Walsh.

OARnet is a regional Internet service providing connectivity to 91
college and university networks throughout the state, as well as
government agencies, corporate research centers, and non-profit
institutions. OARnet continually investigates and implements the latest
in advanced technologies to serve and support the information
architecture of its clients. OARnet peers with more than 100 ISPs both
nationally and internationally, and maintains data centers throughout the
country. OARnet is a division of the Ohio Supercomputer Center, a
technology initiative of the Ohio Board of Regents. For more information,
see www.oar.net.
 
 
-OARnet-

Dan Downing
Public Relations Coordinator
OSC/OARnet
1224 Kinnear Road
Columbus, Ohio, 43212
phone (614) 688-3949
fax (614) 292-7168

www.osc.edu
www.oar.net
www.tfn.oar.net