BOULDER, Colo.—February 25, 2014—The I-Light network — Indiana’s high performance, optical fiber research and education (R&E) telecommunications network — announced it has entered into a long-term agreement with the Zayo Group, LLC (“Zayo”), a global provider of fiber-based Bandwidth Infrastructure services, to provide fiber for the I-Light network backbone.
I-Light connects to the nation’s most advanced R&E networks, such as Internet2 and National LambdaRail. Under the 20-year indefeasible right of use (IRU) agreement, I-Light receives access to Zayo’s advanced and fully upgradeable dark fiber. This will enable I-Light to continue providing Indiana with broadband connectivity, as well as new and enhanced services.
Typically long-term agreements, IRUs are key components of building or expanding infrastructure. The original 2006 contract with Zayo was slated to continue until 2016 and included a right to renew for an additional 10 years. By renewing before the 2016 deadline, IU will save an estimated $2 million. The new agreement expires in 2033.
“Renewing the Zayo contract really secures the future of I-Light for the long term,” says Marianne Chitwood, director of I-Light. “By paying for the IRUs now, we lock in the fiber and maintenance costs, ultimately reducing our overall operating costs.”
“Zayo’s dark fiber is designed to meet the growing bandwidth needs of collaborative networks like I-Light that demand high-speed, reliable and secure service,” says Zach Nebergall, vice president of dark fiber for Zayo Group.
Over the next 20 years, as the needs of Indiana colleges and universities grow, the IRUs will ensure that I-Light is better positioned to accommodate them. “Today, we have a 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) backbone, but we could easily upgrade that to 100 Gbps just by swapping out electronics on the backbone,” says Chitwood.
About Zayo Group
Based in Boulder, Colo., Zayo Group provides comprehensive Bandwidth Infrastructure services in over 300 markets throughout the US and Europe. Zayo delivers a full suite of managed services and dark fiber products to wireline and wireless customers, data centers, Internet content providers, high-bandwidth enterprises, and government agencies across its robust 77,000 route mile network. The company also offers 26 carrier-neutral colocation facilities across the US. Please visit www.zayo.com for more information about Zayo and its fiber solutions.
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