Published: January 22, 2008 09:38 am      

IU Southeast to connect to statewide Internet network

Campus connection will see a minimum of 20 times current capacity

IU Southeast will soon be going the speed of light.

Not in the sense of visible light, but rather I-Light, the state-funded network which will link all the public and private colleges and universities in Indiana to a common high-speed Internet network.

Larry Mand, vice chancellor of information, technology and community engagement at IUS, said this will mean connections on campus will reach speeds of at least 20 times faster than they are now, and possibly even up to 200 times faster.

“We will have the capacity we need to go forward and to grow,” Mand said.

The General Assembly approved the project and recently it awarded $7 million to make sure each campus is wired into the network. Schools then pay a one-time installation charge and monthly fees to use the service.

Ivy Tech Community College’s Sellersburg campus is one of about 20 schools already connected to the network. The college joined I-Light in mid-June.

“In the short period, we have seen our students using the additional bandwidth to conduct more of their coursework. Our faculty are implementing streaming video and audio into their presentations,” said Kenyatte Simuel, director of computer technology services at Ivy Tech. “As we move forward, we will converge voice, video and data, and take advantage of emerging technologies of podcasting, and video to the desktop.

“I-Light allows us to enhance the overall student experience by leveraging technology.”

The backbone of I-Light is nearly complete. The leg going from Terre Haute to Evansville is the only part that is under construction. That portion is expected to be completed by April.

Meanwhile, companies are submitting bids to connect IUS and the Purdue Technology Park in New Albany to the I-Light connection point in Sellersburg.

“This is reality. This is happening,” Mand said, smiling as he held the packet given to prospective companies that are bidding to connect the campuses.

Mand said more and more teachers are utilizing the Internet as a way to help broaden the classroom experience. That — along with the approximately 6,700 students and staff sharing the connection — is causing the school to outgrow its current DS-3, or 45-megabytes-per-second setup.

He said he hopes to have the campus fully wired with I-Light by this fall.

“This is certainly exciting for the state and certainly exciting for the campus,” Mand said. “It could not have come at a better time.”

Meanwhile, those with I-Light say they expect more schools to join the network. Network officials say it should grow from 17 to 45 customers this year, according to the I-Light Web site — www.ilight.net