We are pleased to welcome Networkmaine as new member of The Quilt this past month.

Networkmaine was established in 2009 within the University of Maine System to help shape the future of Maine’s research and education network, MaineREN. The organization operates through a coordinating council which is comprised of the University of Maine System, the Maine Department of Education, the Maine State Library, and the Maine Office of Information Technology.

The primary focus of Networkmaine is the design and operation of MaineREN and services developed to support education, research, public service, government and economic development. In addition to serving higher-education and research, Networkmaine also provides schools and libraries in the state with Internet connectivity at little or no cost through the Maine School and Library Network project, or MSLN project. More than 98 percent of Maine’s K-12 schools and libraries participate in MSLN. Last year, Networkmaine also began operating Wi-Fi networks at 240 middle schools and high schools as part of the Maine Department of Education’s 1:1 computing initiative.

MaineREN is more than 1,500 miles of optical fiber extending from Fort Kent, Maine to Cambridge and from Calais to Bethel. The network serves nearly 200,000 students and more than 1,000 schools and libraries throughout the entire state on a daily basis. While the primary service over MaineREN is a common Layer-3 network, Networkmaine also provides Layer 1 and Layer 2 transport services, videoconferencing services, basic e-mail and web hosting services, and managed Wi-Fi services.

“We have participated in Quilt meetings for the past few years as members of the Northern Crossroads and have found the information/knowledge sharing invaluable,” said Networkmaine Executive Director Jeff Letourneau. “We feel it is time that Networkmaine become more actively involved in supporting and participating in this community by becoming a Quilt member.”

Looking forward, Networkmaine is currently working on interconnecting three northern New England states with each other and with Internet2 in Albany, N.Y. This initiative is being done in collaboration with UNH, Dartmouth College, and UVM. They also are working to establish a pair of 10G paths for CANARIE down the coast of Maine to Cambridge which they can leverage as redundant path for the Maritime Provinces and perhaps an additional peering between CANARIE and Internet2.

We continue to see great excitement in R&E networking in New England, and we’re happy to have Networkmaine join our Quilt community.