ICN announces it has upgraded its fiber optic infrastructure in North Central Iowa. The new equipment at ICN aggregation sites in Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Pocahontas, and Emmetsburg offers a dedicated 10Gb connection at each location. Local healthcare sites, 911 public safety answering points, government offices, and community college sites all benefit from the added redundancy.
The installed equipment allows for Ethernet and IP services to pass through the Network on a redundant infrastructure. The hardware was switched from 24x1Gb connections to 24x10Gb connections, which is part of a larger Network project that will enhance 156 aggregation sites. When all sites are upgraded, ICN will have a full 10Gb converged aggregation network throughout the State.
For this grouping of sites, ICNβs engineering team took advantage of existing unused, or "spare," fiber strands already part of the Network backbone. These four sites use a daisy-chain method, linking rural locations together to ensure Network redundancy. If an unexpected fiber cut occurs near the Pocahontas aggregation site, the impacted fiber connection can be redirected to either Emmetsburg or Humboldt.
These continuous Network enhancements made by the ICN improve customer experiences and protect the critical infrastructure. These types of upgrades are designed to future-proof the network and ensure it can handle the increasing demands of emerging technologies, like the previously completed 100Gb core upgrade.