Internet2 announced 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’s access throughout the U.S.,” said Kevin Morooney, vice president of trust and identity & NET+ cloud services at Internet2. “The unique promise of eduroam’s 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.”
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.