Yipes Lights Optical Data Network for Colorado Schools; Poudre School District Taps Yipes' Gigabit Network to Future-Proof Its Bandwidth Supply

Business Wire, Oct 23, 2000

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2000

Yipes Communications, Inc., the defining provider of bandwidth on demand, today announced that it now provides high-speed data links between 17 school and support services locations in the Poudre School District. Yipes' gigabit optical network will help speed up Internet access, enable new educational applications and future-proof the district's operations against looming bandwidth shortages.

The Poudre School District, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is widely recognized for its innovations in education curriculum, programs and technology. The district's technology coordinator, Larry Buchanan, was instrumental in drafting the state's technology plan for schools. The district's close cooperation with the large high-tech business community in Fort Collins reflects its commitment to staying on the cutting edge of new technology.

Faced with soaring network demands and a bandwidth crunch, the Poudre School District chose Yipes for a cost-effective, long-term solution to its needs. Yipes' optical IP network now connects 16 schools in the Fort Collins area to the central support services headquarters, doubling their former bandwidth at almost no additional cost. Best of all, Yipes can deliver more bandwidth to the district at any time - without delays, new circuit installations or additional equipment.

"Yipes had the solution we needed," said David Williamson, the district's Technical Services Manager. "Access to the Internet and other electronic information sources has become a vital instructional resource in Poudre School District," says Buchanan, PSD's Technology Coordinator. "An inadequate network limits access to those resources and wastes valuable instruction time through slow performance. Connection to the Yipes fiber network enables us to improve network bandwidth immediately, meeting our current needs. Better yet, it provides an affordable path to even higher network performance in the future as our instructional demands continue to increase."

Yipes is widely recognized as the first national provider of fully scalable bandwidth on demand. Yipes' managed optical IP network(SM) delivers an unmatched combination of speed, simplicity and flexibility, using the pervasive and familiar Ethernet interface. Yipes services include Yipes MAN (LAN-to-LAN service between business locations) and Yipes NET (high-speed Internet service), both scalable from 1 Mbps to 1 Gbps, in 1 Mbps increments. Businesses can also connect sites across the country at customer-selected speeds using Yipes WAN, a wide area network service. With Yipes' Just-In-Time Bandwidth(SM), customers get the service they need, when they need it. Yipes is building the first Application-Aware Network(SM), which will empower customers to manage bandwidth and quality of service on a real-time, application-specific basis.

The Poudre School District uses its data network for e-mail, administrative file transfers and above all for soaring use of the Internet by students and staff. It graduated from dial-up modems to 56 Kbps frame relay circuits and then to 1.5 Mbps T-1 lines, but kept hitting the wall in terms of bandwidth constraints.

Williamson faced a quandary as his existing network of T-1 lines filled to capacity. Adding more T-1 lines would be time consuming, expensive, and would require additional equipment for multiplexing and bonding new lines. Copper-based T-1 lines are also prone to breakage and data outages, giving the district more headaches.

Then Yipes came calling, offering to double the district's bandwidth at almost the same price it was paying the phone company. "I was ho-hum at first," Williamson recalled, "but when I heard that Yipes' network was scalable from 1 Mbps to 1 Gbps, I really sat up and paid attention. I'm a firm believer that no matter how big a pipe I build, the schools will fill it. 3 Mbps will carry us a year or two, and then I'll be looking for more bandwidth. When I do, Yipes will be able to deliver immediately."

Williamson also appreciates that Yipes' network minimizes the strain on his limited resources. "The Ethernet interface simplifies our life a lot by keeping things nice and clean," he said. "Everyone knows about Ethernet and IP; with Yipes we don't have to learn about ATM or SONET," the complex protocols used in telephone networks.

"The Poudre schools can now enjoy the same technological advantage that we do," said Dr. Richard Weber, Superintendent of Schools for neighboring St. Vrain Valley School District in the Longmont area. The St. Vrain Valley School District connected 26 school sites to Yipes' network over the summer. "We have experienced exemplary service and great gains in speed and reliability since Yipes introduced us to the optical networks revolution."

"Schools face tremendous challenges as they seek to keep current with the fast-changing society around them," said Ron Young, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Yipes. "By tapping the power of Yipes' gigabit optical network, the Poudre School District can better manage its operations and utilize new multimedia Internet applications that prepare students to become knowledge workers in the 21st century."