I am pleased to share with you OARnet’s annual report for the 2021-22 fiscal year. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary, we are excited about the progress we have made as an organization over the last year and about the major initiatives that lie ahead.
OARnet is in the process of upgrading the state of Ohio to 400 Gigabits per second (Gbps) service, and in December 2021 we became one of only five networks in the country to boost our connectivity to Internet2’s new Next Generation Infrastructure. As we embark on this endeavor, we also have been working on specialized upgrades to our preK-12 education and higher education communities that have growing needs for online and virtual learning resources.
Public-private partnerships are a cornerstone of our work. In this year’s report we reflect on the productive relationship we have with the state’s BroadbandOhio and InnovateOhio programs. Together we are working to fulfill the vision of bringing high-speed internet access to the unserved and underserved areas of Ohio.
From education to government and public broadcasting to health care, OARnet continues to meet all of our communities’ expanding bandwidth needs—while saving our clients an estimated $58 million in FY22.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Pankaj Shah
Executive Director
OARnet
