Purpose and Need
Although the current wiring infrastructure in many Cornell buildings is adequate for basic tasks such as e-mail and web access, it is slower than the speeds that most new computers can support and does not perform well with network-intensive applications such as videoconferencing, virtual reality, or data modeling. Approximately 60% of the connections currently in use cannot support even 100 Mbps (megabits per second).
Cornell also currently lacks a standardized cable plant. Many of the current telecommunications rooms are housed in inadequate spaces lacking adequate security and/or environmental controls for new data electronics.
EzraNet will upgrade data and phone wiring and their distribution infrastructure in about 60 buildings on Cornell's Ithaca campus. The new telecommunications infrastructure will give Cornell the capability to access the network at gigabit speed. It will also lower the costs of future upgrades to the communications physical plant and equipment and will assure that the university has a competitive advantage in maintaining a state-of-the-art telecommunications plant.