The growing popularity of video streaming was draining bandwidth capacity on the St. Ambrose campus. But students taking a break from their studies now can Skype, play X-Box, utilize YouTube or watch Netflix to beat the band.
In time for the start of spring semester, the university's information resources technology office completed a project that tripled the available bandwidth across campus.
Sean McGinn '06, assistant IT director, said St. Ambrose started the year with 100 megabits per second (Mbps) of bandwidth capacity, a total that was "maxed" daily when school was in session. Hardware upgrades have increased that total to 300 Mbps, with 200 directed to residence halls alone.
The remaining 100 Mbps should sufficiently serve classrooms and administrative offices for at least another 18 months, McGinn said. But new advances in video technology, specifically the anticipated growth of high-definition downloads, eventually will require further upgrades, he said.
-Craig DeVrieze
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