Georgia State University Expands Fiber Optic Network

Georgia State University (GSU) has completed the installation of its new Northern Fiber Optic Ring, which connects to the university's existing Southern Fiber Optic Ring. The extension connects 13 additional campus buildings to the university's fiber optic network.

Southern Telecom created the university's Southern Fiber Optic Ring several years ago. Since then, the university's student population has grown significantly, and several new buildings have been added to the campus, so administrators entered into an agreement with Southern Telecom to expand the network with the installation of the Northern Fiber Optic Ring.

Southern Telecom provides long-haul and metropolitan dark fiber connecting the city of Atlanta and other smaller cities in the southeast. To create GSU's new Northern Fiber Optic Ring, Southern Telecom used existing Atlanta central business district ducts and expanded its duct system reach. The company added fiber laterals to new and existing buildings on campus, including two carrier hotels, and the project features multiple ring architectures and redundant hubs. According to the company, it's a highly reliable, redundant, 432-count backbone fiber optic network that provides significant network capacity to meet the needs of university students and faculty well into the future.

"Southern Telecom has supported Georgia State University for many years," said Leif Ericson, business development manager with Southern Telecom, in a prepared statement. "Georgia State has had significant growth in student enrollment and infrastructure. Due to this growth, Southern Telecom has worked with Georgia State to meet its ever-evolving, state-of-the-art communications needs."

Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, Georgia. It serves approximately 32,000 undergraduate and graduate students and employs more than 1,100 full-time faculty.

Further information about Southern Telecom can be found at southern-telecom.com.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at [email protected].

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