Telephone Tricks

The Time Has Come For More Bandwidth: The Implementation of a New WAN
by Tom Gill

 “More bandwidth,” so what does that mean to you? It means quicker connections to the Internet and e-mail. It means quicker downloads of software, test applications (MAP) and streaming video. It allows quicker information transfers to other sites and schools using SASI™ and Meal Tracker™ programs, etc. In general “more bandwidth,” means our District will strut into the 21^st century technological age which will enable us to be more nimble in educating and providing services to our students, families and community.  

So How is This Being Done…? 

State of the art licensed microwave system, high speed wireless, broadband connections will be implemented creating a quicker and more robust WAN (wide area network). This is done using a network of antennas (similar to Direct TV™ dishes) that are mounted on roofs and specially installed poles. The dishes are directed at each other and connected via invisible microwave beams which will create circuits that will have the same throughput and reliability characteristics as a fiber optic network solution. 

Engineering and installing this system will be a challenging and arduous task; however, the benefits will be numerous. To put this WAN project into perspective (saving you all the uber-technical terminology), presently elementary schools are working on 768 KB connection to the internet and WAN and high schools and middle schools are using 1.5MB connection. With the installation of the new WAN, connections to elementary schools will be upgraded to 20MB, and high schools and middle schools will be upgraded to 100 MB. That increase in bandwidth is nearly 100-fold in some instances!   

So When is This Going to Happen? 

Well, the installation process has already begun. Have you seen the big gray pole at Amphitheater High School or the Warehouse?  These are just 2 sites out of seven that are getting poles. The rest of the District sites are getting roof mounted antennas. So when it is all said and done the installation process should be finished by early spring and the new speedy WAN should be on line before the end of the school year. We have extensive testing to do with the phone system and data network after the initial installation. This will ensure a seamless upgrade to “more bandwidth” and the only difference will be a noticeably faster connection speeds—how cool is that?