The state of Ohio has committed to implementing a tenfold boost in the speed of its broadband network, which will benefit research and job-creating assets statewide, Gov. John Kasich believes.

Kasich made the announcement in February during his annual State of the State address, highlighting the fact that the project is the first ever state-led initiative of its kind. It will leverage network speeds of 100 Gigabits per second to advance research and job growth across Ohio’s medical research, higher education, manufacturing, engineering and technology networking corridors — something that he sees as a game-changer.

“These almost-unfathomable speeds are highly sought by leading researchers and job creators in competitive markets around the world,” agreed Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Jim Petro. “This will solidify Ohio’s standing as a technology leader thanks to the vision of our many public and private partners.”

Research and job growth in Ohio will gain a competitive edge when the state gives its broadband network more juice this year. Gov. John Kasich announced in February that the network’s speed will skyrocket to 100 Gigabits per second as a result of an approximately $10 million technology upgrade. (Shutterstock photo)

Under a recently-approved agreement with Cisco and Juniper, Ohio will invest approximately $10 million to harness the innovative technology that will open the faucet on the state’s 1,800 miles of current broadband infrastructure. Those fibers currently operate at a 10 Gbps capacity. At the new speed, every one of the state’s 1.8 million kindergarten through 12th grade students could download an e-book simultaneously in just over two minutes.The network will also connect Ohio’s major metropolitan areas to northern and southern connection points of Internet2, a nationwide advanced networking consortium led by the research and education community that includes U.S. and international institutions that are leaders in the worlds of research, academia, industry and government.

Phase one of the network’s development carries a price tag of $8.1 million and will connect Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo by June. During phase two, slated to take place between June and October, the markets of Akron, Athens and Youngstown will be connected.

Students in school corporations across the state will be able to do research and download resources at lightning speed, without jamming or slowing down the network, after broadband speeds are ratcheted up this year. (Shutterstock photo)

Ohio public and private partners also will invest $2.3 million in a state-of-the-art innovation center that will enable and test 100 Gbps technologies and promote the development of compelling broadband, software and advanced technology applications. Located at Ohio State University, the center will operate in research collaboration with Internet2, NSF-Future Internet Infrastructure, UCBerkeley and other national laboratories.

Visit www.oar.net for a fact sheet and for more information on the network project and the innovation center.