UA Goes Fiber Optic

The University of Arkansas has completed the first stage in creating a statewide fiber optic network by linking to the e-corridor network.
UA launched the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network (AREON), creating a link to the e-corridor network owned by National LambdaRail Inc. with a connection point in Tulsa.
The connection speed is 3 gigabits per second, 2,000 times the speed of DSL. On campus, this means information transmission speed increases 20-fold and 100-fold for the off-campus network. But the connection is part of a larger picture.
“AREON will also enable the University to remain a competitive candidate for research funding,” said UA Chancellor John White. “And this is important. As you know, acquiring research funding can be highly competitive. An institution like the University of Arkansas, with a highly advanced, high-performance networking infrastructure, will have an edge over its peers when competing for limited funds.”
Gov. Mike Huckabee, who also attended AERONs unveiling Dec. 18, legislated $6.4 million for the project. However, more money will be required to connect the UA to the other 10 four-year universities in the state, as is the plan for AREON.
Long-range plans include linking public school systems and health care facilities to the network.
With the network in place, researchers across the state will be able to share large amounts of data and communicate almost as if working in the same room.
Amy Apon, professor of computer science and computer engineering, will employ AREON in the spring. She will team teach a course with a professor at Louisiana State University that will be broadcast through AREON a crisp video-stream.