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Merit Network has extended its reach throughout the Upper Peninsula, with the announcement that engineers recently completed 3,000 feet of fiber-optic cable near Alpena.
The new segment makes it possible for a 10-gbps network connection to go live between Alpena and Powers in Menominee County, which means the network stretches almost all the way across the state. This specific fiber-optic network connects Alpena, Gaylord, Indian River, St. Ignace, Escanaba and Powers, with surrounding areas served along the way.
It's Merit's second network path in the U.P.; the first connected St. Ignace to Sault Ste. Marie. One more is being built between Houghton and Calumet to extend the statewide REACH-3MC network.
"We've built fiber-optic infrastructure all the way to Superior, Wisconsin," said Michael Milliken, director of network engineering at Merit Network. "In Michigan, we have built and lit most of the REACH-3MC network in the Upper Peninsula, with routes going to Ironwood, Menominee and Houghton. Just the connection between Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet remains to be completed in Michigan."
After that, links will be made to networks in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The Ann Arbor-based nonprofit company owned by Michigan's public universities is focused on widening access to high-speed Internet across Michigan, particularly for educational purposes. It has built more than 2,100 miles of network infrastructure in the state.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Merit Network
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