wiredinUSA April 2014

100GB fiber network

RST Fiber has activated a 3,100-mile fiber optic broadband network, claimed to be the first privately owned 100GB IPv6 backbone network in the US. RST built the North Carolina network with some of its own fiber, and some acquired from the state's NCREN fiber network, which has expanded recently to reach all 100 NorthCarolina counties. Gigabit Internet speeds provide service at around 100 times the speed of standard cable Internet but, while common in many parts of the world, are still relatively rare in the US. RST CEO Dan Limerick explained that some locations will be close enough to

the physical fiber to tap right into the 100GB pipe, but other locations will be wirelessly connected to the network. New wifi technology allows for those wireless connections to maintain gigabit speeds, he added. The network already reaches from the mountains to the sea, but Limerick says RST intends to continue to expand its physical fiber lines to make more connections possible. "I call it, for lack of a better term, a spider web," he said. "We're building the network like a spider builds its web, slowly expanding from the core out. In this case, the core is the backbone line that we're announcing now."

wiredInUSA - April 2014 i I

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