USU partners with UEN to bring second fiber optic line to Cache Valley
Utah State University and the Utah Education Network are celebrating the completion of a second fiber optic path that brings a second, high-speed Internet connection into Cache Valley. A celebration is Monday, July 10, at 10 a.m at the university’s Innovation Campus at 1650 N. 500 East in North Logan. The event is free and open to the public.
Since 2000, a partnership between the UEN, USU and Comcast has worked to bring the fiber technology to Cache valley via a second digital connection. The new fiber optic path runs between the Utah Education Network, located at the University of Utah, and USU. The new cable provides an alternate to the valley’s existing fiber optic line provided by Qwest Communications that runs between Logan and Salt Lake City.
“A redundant communication system provides peace of mind for the businesses in Cache Valley that rely on continual contact with the digital world,” said Merry Lu Zeller, an the office of USU’s Vice President for Information Technology. “Logan Regional Hospital and many of the high-technology businesses on USU’s Innovation Campus, including the Space Dynamics Laboratory and Letterpress Software, Inc., will greatly benefit.”
Zeller said the second fiber optic line is in comparison to a second highway saying – if Sardine Canyon were closed because of a catastrophe, the other highways in and out of Cache Valley would become crucial.
“Nobody likes to wait, and one second of download time can seem like hours,” said Zeller. “If you have to wait for a day to repair a broken line, nobody’s happy.”
The new Comcast route provides faster, more secure data communications between Cache Valley and Salt Lake and also brings additional Internet connectivity to Ogden, Brigham City and Tremonton. The addition of the Comcast route provides a complete, alternate path which is critical to businesses seeking to avoid the risk of network downtime.
“This new connection will help tremendously with high performance computing that requires high-speed-reliable access and provides additional bandwidth to education, research and businesses in northern Utah,” said M.K. Jeppesen, USU vice president for Information Technology and member of the UEN steering committee. “It’s a great boon to USU’s Innovation campus and the high tech research companies housed there. It is vital to the growth of these high tech businesses, that’s our aim – to provide that service.”
“The completion of this six-year project means greater Internet stability and speed for students, researchers and businesses in Cache County,” said Stephen H. Hess, chief information officer for the Utah System of Higher Education and member of the UEN steering committee. “With this alternate route users are less likely to see any interruption in their high speed Internet connections.”
Since its founding in 1888, USU has evolved from a small, agricultural college to one that is nationally and internationally recognized for its intellectual and technological leadership in land, water, space and life enhancement. As Utah’s land-grant and space-grant institution, the university has 850 faculty who provide education for more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students, including 7,000 in its continuing education sites located throughout the state of Utah.
USU’s Innovation Campus started in 1985 with one building in a North Logan field. The campus has since grown into a bustling, high-tech research center that employs nearly 2,100 people and is home to 45 businesses. Innovation Campus companies generate approximately $121 million in revenue per year.
The Utah Education Network is an award-winning consortium of higher and public education, libraries, state government and business. UEN’s high-speed data network connects Utah colleges and universities as well as the state’s school districts and libraries. UEN services benefit more 750,000 school and college students throughout the state and is headquartered at the Eccles Broadcast Center on the U of U campus.
Comcast Corporation is the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services.With 21.5 million cable customers, 9 million high-speed Internet customers and 1.5 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
For more information on USU’s celebration of the high speed, redundant Internet connectivity, contact Zellet at (435) 797-7199.