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Brandi Tubb
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Unite Private Networks Announces Fiber-Optic Network Agreement with Lawton Public Schools
LPS students to benefit from UPN upgrade of school district’s technology infrastructure
Kansas City, MO (June 5, 2013) – Lawton Public Schools’ recently signed a long-term agreement with Unite Private Networks (UPN) to provide fiber-optic services for the district. The 35-mile network will connect all 33 schools in the district.
“The network removes technology barriers that prevent us from effectively educating students,” said Lawton Public Schools superintendent Barry Beauchamp. “It will allow LPS to implement new learning applications as they are developed, enabling us to continue to provide students with the best education possible.”
UPN’s installation of the fiber-optic network will happen over a two-year period, with schools converting to the new system as they are added. When complete, the network will connect every school in the district directly with the LPS Media/Technology Center – a shorter route than the current system provides. More importantly, schools will no longer share bandwidth, as they do now. The end result will be faster service, the ability to connect more computers to the network, and the possibility of students using personally owned computing devices in the classroom. The network can expand as the district’s needs change.
One of the most notable changes that schools will see once the upgrade is finished, will occur during state-mandated testing each spring. Currently, LPS restricts access to many websites that teachers regularly use in the classroom because the limited bandwidth interferes with the testing process. The upgraded network should eliminate that restriction.
Linda Hammer, Vice President of Education Sales at UPN, said the upgraded network will deliver bandwidth at speeds up to 100 times faster than the current network. The network will have an aggregate capacity of 100 Gigabits per second, making it the largest bandwidth school district network in Oklahoma. “The vision of the network as a learning tool by the LPS administration and technology teams has been impressive,” Hammer noted.
The district’s cost to implement the new network is minimal, thanks to federal funds provided through E-Rate, the Schools and Libraries Program of the Universal Service Fund. E-Rate makes telephone and Internet access more affordable for schools and libraries across the country. E-Rate funds will cover 80 percent of the cost of installation.
“We are excited about adding Lawton to our growing list of school district customers,” said Martin Mueller, who directs UPN’s education sales in the state. “The relationships we have built with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission – which administers the Oklahoma Universal Services Fund – and the school districts here, are a great testament to the value our fiber-optic network solutions can provide to schools.”
UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and related services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals and enterprise business customers in 20 states.
About Unite Private Networks: UPN provides high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services to schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise business customers across a 20 state service area. Service offerings include dark and lit fiber, private line, metro-optical Ethernet, Internet access, data center services, and other customized solutions. Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, UPN has been providing customer focused communications solutions since 1998. For more information on UPN, please visit www.uniteprivatenetworks.com.
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