Arizona District Goes High-Speed

Wednesday marked the completion of a project at the Agua Fria Union High School District in Avondale, Ariz., that increased the district's network capacity, which was required to support a new campus and the installation of new Web-based student management software.

Agua Fria’s network infrastructure consisted of three T1 lines per site that serviced more than 6,000 students and nearly 200 teachers and support staff. With the addition of a fifth school in the fall and the installation of student management software — which enables teachers and administrators across the district to access and record attendance and grades in real time — Phil Denette, technology director for the district, knew Agua Fria needed more network capacity to handle the increased traffic load.

After investigating fiber as an option, Denette quickly found that it was not a cost-effective solution. Working with Strategic Technology Communications (STC), Denette determined that BridgeWave Communication’s AR80X and GE80 systems would satisfy the district’s network needs. Particularly appealing were the reduced licensing requirements afforded by the 80 GHz systems.

“Once the lease for the new campus came in, it was imperative that we set up service quickly,” said Bruce Frederick, director of network engineering at STC. “The ‘light licensing’ requirements provided by the 80 GHz systems enabled us to deploy the network in days at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional licensing.”

Once installed, the staff and student body immediately realized a marked improvement in network performance.

“I’ve received positive comments from teachers and students who have noticed a significant improvement in our network speed,” Denette said. “With the increase in bandwidth, we’re able to provide further online access to educational streaming video and audio sites that, with our previous network infrastructure, would not have been possible.”

Additionally, the new high-speed network allowed the district to move from a distributed server environment to a centralized server environment, substantially reducing capital expenditures. With better network performance, Denette noted the cost savings and operational efficiencies have been considerable.

“With the added bandwidth," he said, "we’re looking to implement more IT capabilities that will allow us to streamline our IT department and further support our teachers and students with an enhanced Internet learning experience."