Summer 2013 Network Construction Projects Underway

The first phase of an aggressive summer fiber network construction schedule has begun. This phase will include new core network expansion through the northern end of the network to provide better access to developing business parks and medical center growth. Of greater importance, this new fiber opens new opportunities for redundant Internet connections for this highly available network and the ability to better control access costs.

Included in this and the next phases of construction in 2013 are more new lateral connections to all user categories served by OnLight Aurora including healthcare, business and education. One of the more important of these laterals will enable the use of wireless point-to-point connections, a lower cost alternative available for lower bandwidth users. New technology has opened this connection method to the market with the highly available profile required of this network along with the ability to carry high throughput. Users will be able to commence activity by mid summer.

OnLight Aurora is Gigabit Challenge Grant Recipient

Illinois Governor Quinn and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have granted OnLight Aurora and Aurora Illinois a $1 Million grant to further develop the City of Aurora fiber optic network. One of the most robust networks in the state, this fiber optic network currently spans 50 miles of the city and will add an additional 15 miles through the grant process. OnLight Aurora will use these funds to connect the community anchor institutions of Aurora to the fiber to provide access to high speed broadband and the ability to collaborate with other organizations on the network.

These community anchor institutions include area schools, both K-12 and higher education as well as public and private, medical centers, social service agencies, arts & entertainment and businesses. In today’s economy, these connections are the fourth utility, an essential component to properly function and grow. Connection to this growing fiber network offers data center capability, and collaboration opportunities along with a highly scalable, highly competitive information technology tool. Users will then have highly available access to both voice and data network service.

OnLight Aurora is an Illinois not-for-profit with offices in Aurora Illinois serving the community by providing low cost, highly available and scalable access to the City of Aurora’s fiber optic network. Its services are designed to support and foster economic development growth and promote organizational collaboration through this network.

Illinois City Upgrades Network as Foundation for Economic Growth

Report from Cisco, 2012

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Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois, had become increasingly concerned with the costs of its unreliable network spread across 52 different buildings within 46 square miles. The network was disjointed, resulting in high fluctuations and variance in service from building to building. Aurora began to look at ways to use fiber optics — an advanced, innovative technology, to replace its older, traditional copper network. 

"Aurora’s network upgrade has resulted in a range of successes and improvements across the municipality. The consolidation of equipment and providers and integration of Cisco’s fiber network has provided an annual savings of $485,000 for the city."

These savings resonate in the current economic climate, as affirmed by Mayor Weisner, “With local governments increasingly facing limited resources, you have to be able to find efficiencies in operations.” Although the cost savings are gratifying, Beck notes that that was just the beginning: “The priority for the fiber optic network was initially cost savings; however we’re realizing that the benefits don’t end there. We’ve had some super wins with this technology, and we’re going to keep leveraging the infrastructure.” 

“Cisco’s fiber network has helped us become the 21st century version of the City of Lights: the city of light speed.”
— Mayor Tom Weisner, Mayor, City of Aurora

Click on the image below to read more.

This report covers how City of Aurora has integrated an advanced fiber optic network to improve government efficiencies, saving taxpayer dollars.