OpenCape, a non-profit corporation, and CapeNet, a joint venture between CapeNet Partners and Telecom Global, have entered a contract for designing, building, and operating the OpenCape fiber optic and microwave network.
Over 70 educational, public safety and government institutions will be linked to the network.
OpenCape Network
The OpenCape network is a fiber optic backbone that spans nearly 300 miles on Cape Cod. It also extends to network connection centers in Brockton, MA and Providence, RI. For emergency and backup services, the fiber optic system will utilize a microwave radio overlay, which will be built as part of the project. The network will be linked to OpenCape’s regional collocation computing data center in the government complex, Barnstable County.
CapeNet will install the OpenCape network in spring of 2011. The network, after completion, will improve the cell phone coverage and increase the broadband capacity of the region. The broadband communications network project is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2013.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had awarded OpenCape a $32 million Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP) grant from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds for the project.