University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
For Immediate Release:	October 29, 1998
Contact: David Lassner, Director, Information Technology Services 808-956-3501

I-Net upgrade will support advanced communication services for State government and education facilities on O'ahu Plans have been finalized for a major upgrade of Hawai'i's Institutional Network, or I-Net, on O'ahu. The upgrade will expand service around the island and provide higher speed connectivity. The Institutional Network provides data communications connectivity among State buildings, University of Hawai'i teaching facilities and Department of Education high schools. Other components of the I-Net provide video connectivity to support public-, education- and government-access television programming. The new O'ahu data I-Net will be based on two independent and interconnected fiber optic backbone rings serving 19 nodes and operating at 625 million bits per second using OC-12 SONET (Synchronous Optic Network) technology. The new fiber optic rings will increase the network's reliability, provide higher capacity services, and reach many new sites around the island. Oceanic Cablevision will be installing the fiber optic infrastructure at its costs, with funding for the connectivity and equipment being provided by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the University of Hawai'i and the Department of Education. The SONET equipment used in the I-Net is built by Fujitsu Business Systems. Diana Oshiro, assistant superintendent of the Department of Education, says, "This expansion to reach Kalani High School and our North Shore high schools with higher speeds will greatly expand opportunities for electronic learning around the island." David Lassner, director of Information Technology Services for the University of Hawai'i, adds, "The value of the outstanding cooperation we have in telecommunications among the State, the DOE, the University and Oceanic is really demonstrated by this deployment of a modern network that can support advanced new digital services." The creation of I-Net facilities on each island is a responsibility of the cable television companies as detailed in their cable television franchise agreements with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. I-Net facilities are typically provided by a cable television company at cost based on overall State needs in each location and available funding. The technical details of each I-Net are coordinated by DCCA in close cooperation with the cable television company, the Department of Accounting and General Services Information and Communications Services Division, the Department of Education and the University of Hawai'i.

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