The City of Champaign multiple facility computer network is now completely connected via UC2B fiber! This means reliable and rapid exchange of data between all City facilities is now enabled. In some cases the speed of data transfer is now more than 1000 times faster than pre-fiber speeds.
Multiple strands of UC2B fiber coming into City equipment at Node 8 on U of I campus.
With the UC2B fiber being buried underground, the City’s network connectivity and Internet access will no longer be subject to disruption due to inclement weather. Our previous connectivity between facilities and to the Internet was over radio frequency and laser light equipment, both of which transfer data through the air and suffer interruptions from rain, snow, fog, drizzle, and moderate winds (which means about 1 day out of every 3 in Central Illinois).
UC2B fiber and Internet access also means real cost savings to the City. The City will now save $30,240 annually by dropping all of our T1 data lines, and $31,200 annually by using UC2B as our Internet provider. While a significant portion of this savings is offset by annual maintenance fees for the fiber rings the City uses, we still save over $13,000 net annually and have a much faster, much more reliable system that will allow our digital data transfers and Internet use to expand for years to come!