San Francisco, June 26, 2015 — San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), and the City and County of San Francisco announced today that they have collaborated to provide unprecedented direct connection at 10 gigabits per second access speed to CENIC’s California Research and Education Network (CalREN) and from there to the world.

This unprecedented access to the ultra-high bandwidth CENIC network will provide patrons of the San Francisco Public Library with access to the latest and best resources across a wide array of needs and opportunities in areas such as business, government, science, health care, and education – opportunities to engage, create, invent, and learn.

“They are breaking new ground here, and it’s great to see,” said John Beto, Director of University of Maryland’s Information Policy and Access Center, which conducts research on issues that govern access to digital information.

SFPL accesses city-owned fiber that is used to connect them to CalREN. SFPL has a direct 10 Gigabit connection to their main library.  Seven branches now connect to the main branch at 1 Gigabit, with plans to connect all 27 branch libraries at this speed using city-owned fiber.  From CalREN, San Francisco’s libraries are connected to California’s K-12 and higher education systems, to research and education networks throughout the world, and to the public Internet.

“In keeping with our mission of equality and being a 21st century library, this broadband increase allows our patrons to have the very best in access and opportunity,” said City Librarian Luis Herrera.

The Library’s new teen center, The Mix at SFPL, will greatly benefit from new broadband speed. The Mix at SFPL is dedicated to connecting young people with innovative technology tools such as 3D printers, video/audio editing software, fabrication, and other electronic tools to create their own digital or electronic art, to be involved in robotics, even to build their own drones, and to meet, socialize and collaborate with other young people who share common interests.

“The ability to access digital information is essential to every Californian and our remarkable libraries are places where access, the expertise of librarians, and a wealth of opportunities are available to all.  Bandwidth should never constrain access and innovation in our libraries,“ said CENIC President & CEO, Louis Fox.

“San Francisco was among the pilot sites that preceded the Governor and Legislature’s ‘Lighting Up Libraries Initiative,’ which will bring additional broadband capacity to all of California’s public libraries.  389 libraries will connect starting in July of 2015, with a goal to connect all of California’s 1,112 public libraries in the next few years,” said Fox.

“Public libraries change lives. And the 21st Century connectivity that they are getting through connecting to CENIC’s broadband network is going to be transformative for all of California’s diverse communities.  Already, 56 California library jurisdictions, including the San Francisco Public Library and the Peninsula Library Systems, have the highest level of connectivity of any libraries in the country – a number that will grow over the coming months,” said California State Librarian, Greg Lucas.

The updated broadband, including WiFi, can be experienced at San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.  For more information you can reach us at www.sfpl.org or (415) 557-4400.

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Miami, Florida, May 4, 2015 – Padtec, a global manufacturer and solutions provider of turnkey optical solutions, announces today that it has completed the installation of a Padtec 100G Open Wave for FIU/AMPATH over the Florida LambdaRail (FLR) backbone.  AMPATH, a project at Florida International University (FIU), is an Open Research and Education (R&E) Exchange Point (RXP), operating as a Platform of Network Innovation.  AMPATH serves U.S. science research and education communities by managing a production-level international exchange point, connecting a diverse community of national and international R&E networks.
FLR, Florida’s Research and Education Network, is an independent research and education network owned and operated on behalf of its partner institutions and affiliates.  As part of a global research and education community, FLR provides accessibility and connectivity to an advanced, highly scalable broadband network (100Gbps by July 2015) that is designed to meet the ever-growing needs of Florida’s research and education community.

In support of the FIU OpenWave/Atlantic Wave project FLR engineers integrated 100G transponders from Padtec as an Alien Wave over the FLRWave (Cisco ONS) DWDM platform. The insertion of the Padtec alien 100G optical signal from Padtec equipment installed at Jacksonville and Miami through the FLRWave system was provisioned without any regeneration between FLR optical PoPs located in Miami and Jacksonville.

“We are pleased to be able to support FIU/AMPATH and Padtec with the joint experimentation, testing and deployment of the 100G Alien Wave as a key first step to extending and integrating that wave into the AtlanticWave” said FLR CEO Joseph Lazor. “As we complete our 100 G backbone upgrade, we look forward to enabling more successful initiatives like this one in the future”.

An LLC partner institution of FLR, Florida International University, is supporting this project through a Memorandum of Agreement with FLR to improve research and education network connectivity north from Miami, FL where the AMPATH International Exchange Point is located.

“This install marks Padtec’s very first deployment of its compact 4RU i6400 chassis, with a two-node implementation on the eastern seaboard of Florida, from Miami to Jacksonville, and 100G Alien Wave deployment over about 340 km,” said Enrique Lozoya, Padtec VP Engineering Sales. Ultimately, this network will be part of a larger one Padtec has undertaken with FIU’s NSF supported OpenWave project over the LANautilus submarine network.   FIU’s Dr. Julio Ibarra, NSF awardee said, “OpenWave is part of Americas Lightpaths (AmLight), a production infrastructure for communication and collaboration between the U.S. and Western Hemisphere science and engineering research and education communities and the newly available bandwidth will insure significant growth for academic networking between the U.S. and Brazil.”

OpenWave is a breakthrough undertaking which connects the US to Brazil via an experimental (“alien”) 100 Gigabits/second wave (optical transmission channel) by means of optical hardware that has never before been field tested over the distances involved. OpenWave will use an already operating international undersea cable system to bridge the route between Miami, FL., and São Paulo, Brazil, including a 5600km submarine link between St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and Fortaleza, Brazil.   Additionally, AtlanticWave-SDX: a distributed experimental SDX, supporting research, experimental deployments, prototyping and interoperability testing, on national and international scales will utilize the upgraded infrastructure.

“Padtec is proud to work with Florida LambdaRail,” says VP Lozoya of Padtec. “We are confident that this install will help further their continued goal of providing research institutions with connectivity. Our equipment is designed to aid in projects exactly like this one, and we look forward to a continued partnership as well with the OpenWave project.

Offering carrier-class optical platforms and equipment, Padtec embraces an innovative approach to developing cost-effective, and reliable optic communication systems to address long-haul, data center, and submarine network requirements.

About Padtec: Padtec is a global manufacturer and solutions provider of turnkey optical solutions. The company offers products that span very compact modules to corporate access and data center interconnection, long-haul terrestrial backbone and complete submarine multi-terabit solutions. Padtec takes you at the speed of light from you to the world, with operations in North America, South America, Central America, Europe and Asia. The company, headquartered in Campinas, Sao Paulo Brazil, is the first and largest Latin American manufacturer of optical networking equipment. With a strong focus on research and development, Padtec develops custom solutions for global networks leveraging pioneering technology and robust mission critical support. For more information about Padtec, please visit http://www.Padtec.com.br/eng/ or email usa@Padtec.com.

About CIARA: Florida International University’s Center for Internet Augmented Research and Assessment (CIARA), in the Division of IT, has developed an international, high-performance research connection point in Miami, Florida, called AMPATH (AMericasPATH; www.ampath.net). AMPATH extends participation to underrepresented groups in Latin America and the Caribbean, in science and engineering research and education through the use of high-performance network connections. AMPATH is home to the Americas Lightpaths (AmLight) high-performance network links connecting Latin America to the U.S., funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), award #ACI-0963053 and the Academic Network of São Paulo (award #2003/13708-0) (http://ciara.fiu.edu/).
About Florida International University: Florida International University is an urban, multi-campus, public research university serving its students and the diverse population of South Florida. We are committed to high-quality teaching, state-of-the-art research and creative activity, and collaborative engagement with our local and global communities.  FIU is Miami’s first and only public research university, offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.  FIU is number one in the nation in awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to hispanic students.  Designated as a top-tier research institution, FIU emphasizes research as a major component in the university’s mission (http://www.fiu.edu).
About Florida LambdaRail: FLR is the regional optical network of Florida, formed as a consortium of the Florida’s research universities, to support their research and education mission (www.flrnet.org).

April 20 2015

Partnership supports third-largest student population in the United States

SALT LAKE CITY – CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) today announced that its gigabit service is helping the Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN) create a network capable of carrying more than a full terabit of combined bandwidth across 1,412 schools and educational locations in Utah. Of those locations, 832 are equipped with CenturyLink fiber-enabled broadband service, providing ultra-fast speeds from 1 to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps).

“I am very proud Utah is home to the nation’s most connected educational system,” said Utah Gov. Gary Herbert. “Since its inception, UETN has stood as one of the nation’s most successful public/private partnerships and it is a great example of the things high Internet bandwidth can accomplish when it is readily available for educational goals.”

In addition to serving 824,000 students in K-12 and university campuses, UETN supports applied technology campuses, libraries and healthcare clinics. CenturyLink has served as a continuous technology partner to UETN and its predecessor, EDNET for more than two decades. UETN includes the Utah Education Network (UEN) and the Utah Telehealth Network (UTN).

“As the gigabit leader in Utah, we are proud to work with UETN to deliver technology that helps enhance the educational opportunities for students throughout the state,” said Jeremy Ferkin, CenturyLink vice president of operations. “Our partnership with UETN was one of the key drivers allowing CenturyLink to quickly deliver gigabit technology across Utah.”

“In practical terms, UETN has been successful in making Utah the home of the nation’s most connected educational system,” said Ray Timothy, who has served as CEO and executive director since 2012. “We also partner with research institutions to provide 100 gigabit capabilities for moving big data. It is allowing their innovation to be fully unleashed.”

In addition to connecting approximately 60 percent of Utah schools to UETN’s network and providing the backbone infrastructure for its education and healthcare networks, CenturyLink is also the largest provider of gigabit services to residential and business customers in the Salt Lake City metro area and the state of Utah.

CenturyLink provides gigabit services to more than 11,500 businesses along the Wasatch Front, with fiber available to tens of thousands of additional Utah businesses, and is deploying speeds up to 1 Gbps to households throughout the Salt Lake City area, as well as in parts of St. George in southern Utah.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink is the third largest telecommunications company in the United States and is recognized as a leader in the network services market by technology industry analyst firms. The company is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions for enterprise customers. CenturyLink provides data, voice and managed services in local, national and select international markets through its high-quality advanced fiber optic network and multiple data centers for businesses and consumers. The company also offers advanced entertainment services under the CenturyLink® Prism™ TV and DIRECTV brands. Headquartered in Monroe, La., CenturyLink is an S&P 500 company and is included among the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporations. For more information, visit www.centurylink.com.