ANN ARBOR – Merit Network completed last week the final operational phase of its southern Michigan backbone, a 750-mile fiber optic network developed in collaboration with the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.
Completion of the network in southern Michigan is the first step in a plan string fiber throughout the state. Deployment is underway in several mid-Michigan areas and planning is ongoing for the northern region and Upper Peninsula, said Mary Eileen McLaughlin, Merit?s MichNet Director.
The southern Michigan backbone includes routes between Detroit and Chicago, as well as metro rings within both cities. The network connects Merit Members and Affiliates with direct peering connections to national and international research and education networks such as National LambdaRail, Internet2/Abilene, CANARIE (Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research, Industry and Education) and MREN.
The Universities have hired Merit to support the initial deployment of advanced optical electronics and to subsequently manage day-to-day engineering and operations of the MiLR network. Merit and the Universities also have an agreement to allow Merit use of the MiLR fiber for backbone transport of Merit’s Member and Affiliate traffic.
?Transition to a facilities-based network is an exciting move for
Merit,? said Mike McPherson, Merit Network Interim President and CEO.
?This move will provide Merit tremendous growth in bandwidth,
quadrupling current capacity (from 2.5 Gbps to 10 Gbps), while
containing future costs and establishing Merit in the field of regional
optical networking. Utilizing a facilities-based backbone provides
Merit with complete engineering control in support of new initiatives
and research activities critical to the future success of our Members
and Affiliates.?
