Student wireless access to expand throughout the entire U.P.

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University has offered wireless internet access to their students, faculty, and staff within 20 to 25 miles from their campus for a few years. Now the university is going to be expanding this service throughout the entire Upper Peninsula.

NMU has a two year deadline to have the service available throughout the entire UP. During that time, Northern will be negotiating tower spaces with city officials. NMU is ecstatic about being able to provide this service to their students, and hopes it will help with enrollment away from the main campus and strengthen current programs and opportunities.

“We’ve received the only educational broadband system license from the F.C.C. in the last ten years,” said NMU President Dr. Fritz J. Erickson, “they like the work we’re doing because we’re highly focused on education. This week they’ve given us the broadband spectrum to be able to literally light up the entire U.P.”

Within the next year they will be shutting off all Wi–Max and upgrading to LTE. According to Assistant Vice President of University Marketing and Communications Derek Hall, this will make download speeds ten to twenty times faster.

We’ll provide more information as the process moves along.