In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that the US UCAN project had been awarded $62.5 million as part of the federal broadband stimulus program. Infinera was among the group that submitted this application and will provide support to the network as part of the funding adjustment required by the NTIA. The US UCAN network is led by Internet2 and National LambdaRail, the two national academic and research networks, along with the Northern Tier Network Consortium (NTNC) and Indiana University.
US UCAN is utilizing Infinera's Digital Optical Network as part of a planned 3.2 Terabit-per-second network that will eventually support 200,000 schools, libraries, university communities, healthcare facilities, and public safety organizations nationwide. In accordance with the grant's objective, the services this new network will provide include innovative, next-generation capabilities such as telemedicine, distance learning, and other services to help rural and underserved areas access technology and gain the same opportunities as the rest of the country that already benefits from advanced technologies.
In 2006, Internet2 selected Infinera's DTN equipment for its national network to offer its members the benefits of the Digital Optical Network. Infinera's digital technology provides network scalability, flexibility, and ease of use. Based on Infinera's integrated photonic circuits, the DTN network offers a minimum of 100 Gb/s capacity on each network path and ease of operation and management, including a powerful GMPLS control plane to enable intelligence, automated network discovery, provisioning, and service recovery.
“At Internet2, we are delighted to expand our collaboration with Infinera through their participation in this important national project. Infinera’s innovative technology, known for its excellent reliability and ease of use, will be fundamental in ensuring the advanced capabilities this network promises,” said Rob Vietzke, Executive Director of Internet2 Network Services.
In 2008, the NTNC deployed an Infinera network to its members, which included universities in nine states from Washington to Illinois. The NTNC is looking forward to working with Infinera on the US UCAN project.  
Infinera's DTN equipment is the first large-scale photonic circuit-based optical networking equipment. Deployed worldwide in metropolitan and long-haul networks, Infinera's DTN equipment combines high-capacity DWDM transport, integrated digital broadband management, and a GMPLS intelligence service on a single platform.