NIUNet: Next-Generation Communication
Bridging the globe
NIUNet - a high-speed fiber-optic network built by Northern Illinois University - connects our region to the world while enhancing academic research and bolstering economic development.
It is a joint effort of NIU's Information Technology Services and Regional Development Institute.
Connecting Illinois Communities
When completed in about three years, the network will connect every school, library, municipality and hospital within a nine-county area to high-speed fiber. Most of those institutions will see their Internet speed rocket up to 1,000 faster while the costs for those services will plummet.
Once the infrastructure is in place, community anchor institutions will have the ability to:
Provide researchers access high-speed unrestricted broadband to national labs and databases throughout northern Illinois.
Deliver distance education in essentially real-time with DVD-quality picture and sound.
Enable doctors to diagnose and consult with other physicians from hundreds of miles away. Patients will be able to access specialists without traveling to them.
Allow cities to share resources for planning, emergency management and economic development. High-tech jobs will come and stay instead of leaving for more "connected" communities on the coasts.