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October 4, 2005 Ann Arbor, MI -- Under an agreement with Level 3 Communications, the Lonestar Education and Research Network (LEARN), a co-operative effort of higher education institutions and organizations in Texas, has purchased the rights to over 317 route miles of dark fiber from FiberCo, a fiber holding company supporting U.S. research and higher education.
According to a press release, utilizing FiberCo's national-scale wholesale pricing structure and streamlined fiber acquisition process, LEARN acquired the dark fiber at a significantly discounted rate, and will use the network facilities as part of a project to interconnect 14 cities and 33 universities in the state of Texas.
According to the release, the LEARN network, once lit, will facilitate a new level of collaboration, advanced communication, and research among Texas schools, by providing advanced network performance and heightened bandwidth capabilities. The optical network will also provide member institutions with direct connectivity to a range of domestic and international research networks, including Internet2's Abilene Network and National LambdaRail, of which LEARN itself is a member.
"In building this next-generation, optical network for the State of Texas, LEARN will be able to provide the most sophisticated learning, research, and collaboration community for Texas research and education," says Jim Williams, LEARN executive director. "The dark fiber services acquired through FiberCo serve as the foundation for LEARN's efforts, and will provide Texas institutions and industry a new and exciting platform for innovation."
Established in 2003 by the Internet2 consortium, FiberCo provides a means for acquiring, holding, and assigning dark fiber assets on both a national and the regional scale, on behalf of the higher education community.
"FiberCo's goal is to assist the Internet2 membership in acquiring critical optical networking assets to facilitate the development of advanced regional fiber infrastructure. This fiber assignment represents a critical milestone in LEARN's plans to deploy leading-edge optical capabilities throughout Texas," remarks Steve Cotter, director of network services for Internet2, and chair of the FiberCo effort. "LEARN's efforts highlight the leadership of Texas institutions in providing advanced Internet technology to their constituents, and serve as a model for other states around the country."
Under the agreement with Level 3, FiberCo has the ability to provision inter-city and metropolitan dark fiber from Level 3's national footprint.
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