GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Grand Rapids-based US Signal has been a pioneer of connectivity for more than a decade. A leading data service provider in the Midwest, the company today announced that it is significantly expanding its long-haul fiber network in Southern and Central Ill., St. Louis, Mo. and Southern Indiana. The expansion includes central offices in the cities listed below. The announcement continues the Company’s expansion into Illinois, following network growth in Chicago in March 2008 and 2009. During the last 18 months the company has added eight new markets in the Midwest.

This expansion will add approximately 1,000 miles of long-haul fiber to the US Signal network. The expansion is part of US Signal’s commitment to being the most dependable, flexible, and reliable provider of data bandwidth in the Midwest. As the nature of the work environment evolves to embrace mobility, people can remain connected and have access to the information they need when they need it, using the stable network provided by US Signal.

Newest POPs include:

• Bloomington, Ill. (BLTNILXD)
• Peoria, Ill. (PEORILPJ)
• Springfield, Ill. (SPFDILES)
• Mattoon, Ill. (MTONILXC)
• Centralia, Ill. (CENLILCE)
• St. Louis, Mo. (STLSMO01 and STLSMOZC)
• Terre Haute, Ind. (TRRHINXA)

“This expansion is critical to US Signal’s philosophy of connecting key markets with advanced data transport services,” says Kirk Dombek, director of business development. “The recently added long haul routes enable US Signal to deliver Virtual Ethernet Service, which provides access to a fully meshed, scalable and reliable network to support any data bandwidth solution.”

According to Dombek, “The value of Ethernet for businesses is the ability to mix and match any of the available Ethernet access types not only in metro areas, but also across the entire US Signal footprint. Virtual Ethernet Service reduces the complexity of a customer’s network configuration and, therefore, interface costs are greatly reduced and multiple access types are created.”

US Signal’s network now includes more than 7,000 route miles of long-haul fiber and more than 900 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 22 markets connecting regions in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. The US Signal network provides on-off ramps comprised of major carrier hotel locations, incumbent telephone company central offices and other lit buildings.

]]> http://www.ussignalcom.com/us-signal-announces-major-expansion-in-illinois-and-st-louis-2/feed 0 http://www.ussignalcom.com/us-signals-virtual-ethernet-service-helps-customers-do-more-with-less http://www.ussignalcom.com/us-signals-virtual-ethernet-service-helps-customers-do-more-with-less#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:16:11 +0000 kwilson http://www-dev.ussig.net/?p=1355 How Thomas Cooley Law School benefits from Virtual Ethernet Services

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH — Grand Rapids-based US Signal Company has been a pioneer of
connectivity for more than a decade. The leading provider of data bandwidth capacity in the
Midwest, the company recently announced its expansion into four Ohio markets: Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Dayton, and Columbus.

“We have created technologies that make Virtual Ethernet Service affordable, simple, and
stable — making a fully meshed network accessible from point A to B almost anywhere,” says
Trevor Bidle, vice president of engineering for US Signal. “Virtual Ethernet Service allows our
customers to control the routing and flow of their own networks.”

How VES Works

In 2008, Thomas Cooley Law School migrated from a hub and spoke arrangement to Virtual
Ethernet Service (VES) to connect its campus locations. Virtual Ethernet Service provides
Cooley with high-speed connectivity to each of its campus locations via US Signal’s backbone,
delivering both private network and Internet service to each site.

“Cooley is the largest law school in the nation with four campuses in Michigan,” says Greg
Colegrove, Cooley’s director of IT operations and communication services. “Before VES,
connecting all locations was difficult and costly. With VES, it’s faster and easier.”
The advantages of VES at Cooley include:

1. High-definition IP video conferencing. This technology allows an instructor at
   one campus to teach a class across multiple campuses, providing students
   access to courses that were previously only available at one location.
2. Voice over IP (VoIP) phone service. This technology eliminates long-distance toll
   charges by providing four-digit dialing between campuses. Cooley realizes
   additional savings with least cost call routing, where calls to any of the cities
   where Cooley has a campus take place over its data network — eliminating the
   need for long distance services or costs.
3. Easy network management. VES allows Cooley to manage its environment as
   one network. Faculty, staff, and students have access to private network
   applications and other resources, regardless of where they are located.

Ethernet Evolution

Behind the computers and cell phones that keep us connected are technologies that make it all
work together.

Today, VES makes Ethernet connectivity possible for companies of all sizes and for all types of
working situations. As the nature of work evolves to embrace mobility, people can remain
connected and have access to the information they need when they need it.

VES allows customers to connect LANs within and between metropolitan areas. The service
also provides customers with a wide range of connectivity options and is scalable to their needs.
VES has been designed to help companies save time and money, while helping increase
efficiency and reducing network costs.

About US Signal
With nearly 6,000 miles of lit fiber and metro rings in 21 strategic tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three
markets, the US Signal optical backbone features Cisco Systems Dense Wave Division Multiplexing
(DWDM) technology and is designed with a SONET redundant architecture. US Signal provides services
in five Midwest states including Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.

About Thomas M. Cooley Law School
Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the nation. Founded in 1972, the private, non-profit law
school operates J.D. programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.
Today, Cooley Law School has nearly 14,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers
joint degree and master of laws programs. Cooley offers enrollment three times a year; in January, May
and September. Additional information about Cooley can be found at cooley.edu.
The Thomas M. Cooley Law School – 300 S. Capitol Avenue, P.O. Box 13038, Lansing, MI 48901
Phone (517) 371-5140

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – June 3, 2010 – US Signal, a leading provider of data bandwidth capacity and Ethernet services in the Midwest, today announced that it is now offering access to its extensive metro and regional network via a new connection with CENX, Inc., operator of the world’s first and most connected Carrier Ethernet exchanges.

Norcross, Georgia, USA and Martinsried/Munich, Germany. October 12, 2009. US Signal, the premier telecommunications infrastructure provider of network services, IP transport, Ethernet transport, and colocation facilities in the Midwest, has improved its network monitoring and testing capabilities and safeguarded its customers against potential disruptions with the implementation of ADVA Optical Networking technology.

Deploying ADVA Optical Networking’s FSP 150CC-825 and FSP 150CC-925 Ethernet demarcation devices at centralized network sites and customer locations, US Signal has created remote test and monitoring points within its 6,000-mile fiber optic network and metro rings in 21 markets serving customers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. These test points enable the organization to conduct internal service testing between its core network and customer locations. That means US Signal’s high-bandwidth customers are assured to receive the secure, reliable service they depend on.
In addition, US Signal realizes operational efficiencies from its improved monitoring capabilities through the ability to track down and eliminate technical issues within the network before they escalate into service outages. The FSP 150CC-825 and the FSP 150CC-925 contain extensive remote Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) features to help minimize the need for truck rolls and provide remote visibility into Service Level Agreement (SLA) conformance.

The FSP 150CC-825 and the FSP 150CC-925 are unique in that they include integrated RFC 2544 testing to verify SLA throughput, delay and delay variation under fully loaded, worst-case conditions. This ensures services are carrier-class.

Both devices are equipped with ADVA Optical Networking’s Etherjack© technology, enabling carriers to deploy profitable Ethernet services by providing an intelligent Ethernet demarcation point, which includes an 802.1ag/802.3ah-aligned Network Interface Device (NID) or Network Termination Equipment (NTE) for OAM functionality, plus an MEF-aligned User Network Interface (UNI) for providing advanced services definition. The Etherjack NID includes the Etherjack Connection Performance Analyzer (ECPA), along with port-level and Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN)-level loopbacks to enable a carrier to remotely diagnose faults and verify Ethernet Virtual Connection (EVC) SLA conformance using RFC 2544 test suites. In addition, Etherjack Service Assurance (ESA) provides in-service SLA monitoring critical for offering carrier-class Ethernet services. The Etherjack service UNI provides service intelligence necessary for defining Committed Information Rate (CIR), Excess Information Rate (EIR) and burst size of individual ports, priorities or VLANs. It uses 802.1p, 802.1q, Type of Service (ToS) or Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) to classify traffic into EVCs, VLANs or priority level.

“The decision to deploy ADVA Optical Networking’s FSP 150CC-825 and FSP 150CC-925 allows our customers to connect their different sites – utilizing diverse last mile access technologies such as OC-3, OC-12 or Native Ethernet – to their Virtual Ethernet Service,” said Dan Olrich, chief operating officer for US Signal.

The US Signal optical backbone features Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technology that combines a redundant SONET architecture with one of the most extensive switched Ethernet networks in the Midwest. All of US Signal’s services are delivered over this protected network to ensure resiliency, flexibility and scalability.

“The ability to accurately test, measure and monitor network performance is critical to the success of today’s service providers,” said Brian Protiva, chief executive officer of ADVA Optical Networking. “US Signal clearly takes that responsibility seriously, and we’re proud to provide the tools and technology this organization relies on to protect its customers and its network.”

The announcement marks the Company’s second expansion in Ohio in six months, following network
growth in Toledo in March 2009. In addition to new colocation facilities and points of presence (POPs),
US Signal is also building into four existing data centers in Ohio.

Newest POPs:

• Cleveland, Ohio (CLEVOH62)
• Cincinnati, Ohio (CNCNOHWS)
• Columbus, Ohio (CLMBOH11)
• Dayton, Ohio (DYTNOH22)

“The addition of these major data centers and POPs, signifies our commitment to providing traditional
protected services, such as Private Line circuits, Internet and MPLS VPNs, as well as cutting-edge
Switched Ethernet services to the entire Ohio market,” said Daniel Olrich, US Signal’s chief operating
officer. “Our Virtual Ethernet services are unique, because they are not constrained to LATA or state
boundaries. We are able to deliver a fully functional meshed switched Layer 2 and/or Layer 3 network
regardless of location or speed.”

The addition of this long-haul fiber will be complemented with the lighting of metro rings in the major
metropolitan areas of Ohio in 2010. US Signal’s network now includes more than 6,000 route miles of long-haul fiber and more than 700 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 21 markets connecting markets in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio. The US Signal network provides on-off ramps comprised of major carrier hotel locations and incumbent telephone company central offices.

US Signal said its future plans for the region include expansions into Akron, Canton, Lima and
Springfield.

The expansion introduces service access at the following locations:

• Midland, Mich. (MDLDMIMN)
• Three Rivers, Mich. (THRRMIXT)
• Lafayette, Ind. (LFYTINXA)

“Our expansion into Three Rivers, Midland and Lafayette further increases US Signal’s unmatched network density throughout the Midwest,” said Daniel Olrich, US Signal’s chief operating officer. “This expansion will not only improve the connectivity options for customers within the expanded footprint, but also across our entire network.”

“US Signal’s network now includes more than 5,500 route miles of long-haul fiber and more than 700 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 21 markets, connecting markets in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio.” The US Signal network provides more than 100 on-off ramps, comprised of major carrier hotel locations and incumbent telephone company central offices.

US Signal’s Ethernet over Copper provides customers with access to bandwidth up to 20 Mbps matched with Ethernet simplicity and ease of management. Using traditional copper lines and access-loops, Ethernet over Copper is designed to be used with US Signal’s Dedicated Internet, MPLS VPN and Virtual Ethernet Service products. US Signal will be utilizing ADTRAN’s Total Access 5000 Ethernet Aggregation Platform to provide the copper-based Metro Ethernet extensions.

The expansion of Ethernet over Copper access gives customers in these markets a more affordable
option to connect to the US Signal network,” said Kirk Dombek, director of product development for US
Signal. “Ethernet over Copper access provides a cost-effective alternative for lower bandwidth solutions
that have historically required expensive bonded T1 and DS3 loops.”

“We are pleased to continue our network expansion in Toledo,” said Stephen Oyer, US Signal’s executive vice president of sales. “Increasing the density of on-off ramps throughout our footprint is critical to US Signal’s strategy of responding to customer demand. The expansion also provides us with a strong foundation for the introduction of new products and services.”

US Signal’s network now includes more than 700 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 14 markets, and more than 5,000 route miles of long haul fiber connecting markets in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. The US Signal network provides more than 100 on-off ramps, comprised of major carrier hotel locations and incumbent telephone company central offices.

US Signal’s expansion of its network introduces service access at the following locations:

• Green Bay, Wis. – GNBYWI01
• Appleton, Wis. – APPLWI01
• Oshkosh, Wis. – OSHKWI01

“US Signal’s network expansion will provide the customers in Northern Wisconsin’s Fox Valley region
with more cost-effective connectivity options,” said Daniel Olrich, US Signal’s executive vice president of
operations. “Customers will now have access to an expanded suite of Ethernet-based products, in
addition to seamless connections to US Signal’s fiber network across the Midwest.”

US Signal’s network includes more than 700 miles of fiber optic metro rings in 14 markets and more than
4,500 route miles of long haul fiber connecting more than 100 on-off ramps, comprised of major carrier
hotel locations and incumbent telephone company central offices.

Midwestern Service Provider Retools Fiber Optic Network