Link Oregon joins EDUROAM Support Organization

Connecticut Education Network (CEN) and Link Oregon join the program to help bridge the digital divide for K-12 schools, libraries, museums, and more with eduroam global Wi-Fi

Internet2 announced today the latest state research and education (R&E) networks to join the eduroam Support Organizations program: Connecticut Education Network (CEN) and Link Oregon. The program expands access to the eduroam global Wi-Fi roaming service across community anchor institutions – K-12 schools, libraries, and museums – with a reach that now includes five states spanning coast to coast in the U.S.

eduroam is the secure, worldwide roaming wireless service developed by and for the international R&E community and is available in more than 100 countries. Internet2 is the operator of eduroam in the U.S., with more than 1,000 eduroam-subscribing organizations supporting millions of students, faculty, researchers, and staff across the country. 

With input from the research and education community, Internet2 transitioned eduroam’s U.S. infrastructure to a cloud-forward architecture in 2021, boosting resiliency and scalability to better support the growth driven by the Support Organizations.

“The eduroam Support Organizations program is cultivating a cohort of leading organizations in the research and education network community that have the capabilities, capacity, and collaborative spirit needed to contribute to the expansion of eduroam access throughout the U.S.,” said Kevin Morooney, vice president of trust and identity & NET+ cloud services at Internet2. “The unique promise of eduroam lies in its ever-increasing ubiquity. We’re over the moon about the momentum the Support Organizations are creating to bring access to all students in their states. The power of a community coming together to solve shared problems is on full display with these efforts.”

The more participants in eduroam, the more powerful the network, and the bigger the benefits for all.

In April 2022, CEN and Link Oregon put forth proposals to extend the reach of eduroam throughout their states by joining the Support Organizations program. Over the next year, they will participate in an on-ramp process, giving them the opportunity to deploy the eduroam service to a small number of locations in preparation to scale more broadly next year. Program participants learn from each other, work together to solve shared challenges, and leverage their existing relationships with K-12 schools, libraries, and museums to address scaling challenges and better serve these communities through eduroam access.

“Our entire team at Link Oregon is very excited to be recognized by Internet2 as the eduroam Support Organization for Oregon and to have this opportunity to extend the multiple benefits of seamless Wi-Fi roaming to our partners in the K-12, public library, and museum sectors,” said Steve Corbató, executive director of Link Oregon. “This work will leverage a successful demonstration project led by our founding member Oregon State University, together with the Linn-Benton-Lincoln Education Service District and the Albany and Corvallis School Districts.”

Link Oregon — a consortium of Oregon’s four largest research universities (Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon State University, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon) and the State of Oregon’s Enterprise Information Services (EIS) unit — provides high-speed, fiber-optic broadband connectivity and shared network services to Oregon’s public and non-profit sectors including K-12 and higher education institutions, libraries, Tribes, public healthcare facilities, remote state offices, and other public and non-profit organizations. 

Link Oregon’s high-capacity network will eventually serve more than 600+ organizations across the state, making it easier for these entities to collaborate, share information, and deliver services to Oregon residents and visitors.

About Internet2

Internet2® is a non-profit, member-driven advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 serves 323 U.S. universities, 59 government agencies, 46 regional and state education networks.

For more information, visit https://internet2.edu or follow @Internet2 on Twitter.

SOURCE Internet2