In partnership with Peninsula Fiber Network LLC and Borderland Communications, Merit was able to connect the three public universities and the rest of the U.P. network to Merit’s backbone network via fiber and leased circuits with diverse path gigabit connections.
Merit is the University’s internet service provider. They just recently acquired access to the new internet cable going across the Macinac Bridge. Now they’ve connected Lake Superior State @ Sault St. Marie to the bridge cable. LSSU is the east end of the PFN network so this now means that NMU, MTU, and LSSU are connected to the rest of Michigan’s internet! Prior to this, all internet activity in the UP had to go through Wisconsin and Chicago. I don’t know if your network speeds will really improve, but at least connecting to IPs in the Lower Peninsula will get higher speeds and better quality connections.
Well maybe this mean that if a cable gets cut again in Wisconsin the entire UP’s connection won’t be lost. I think some cell phone signals, cable tv, and internet went out. Twice because of a cable in WI being severed or something.