Networking

  Progress Continues on Improving the Campus Connection

Texas A&M University’s data network is the foundational technology that all university technological infrastructure depends on to operate. Over the past year, Technology Services deployed a variety of network initiatives to strengthen, expand and modernize the campus network experience. Once completed, Texas A&M will have one of the most resilient and modern higher education campus networks in the country.

Further complementing these initiatives, the addition of a dedicated DAS system for one of our rural campus units allows more connectivity for our faculty, staff, and students. By investing in these robust, powerful and adaptable network upgrades, Texas A&M is poised to become a truly “next-generation” campus with one of the best networking infrastructures in the country and meeting the future demands of Texas A&M educators, researchers and students with speed, agility and excellence.

Next-Generation Aggie Network Project Progresses

Texas A&M University is undergoing a three-year, multi-million-dollar project to modernize the flagship campus with 6E wireless technology and transform the digital experience for students, faculty, staff and visitors. The Next-Generation Aggie Network, or Next-Gen Network, aims to provide faster, more consistent and reliable internet access across the 5,200-acre campus. See progress and learn more at it.tamu.edu/nextgen/. 

The project, which started in 2021, will expand Wi-Fi coverage in high-traffic outdoor areas and provide better support for data-intensive research efforts. It will also upgrade the network at the Texas A&M Health Science Center location on Highway 47 in Bryan, which will increase network speeds and create parity with the main campus.

7,000

4,872

1,006

PHASE

To date, significant progress has been made in preparing for the launch of the Next-Gen Network:

• Installing new fiber in approximately 240 buildings, which provides a consistent, high-speed, fiber-optic backbone that allows for robust connectivity inside each building.
• Identifying more than 7,000 wireless access points for upgrades and ultimately setting the target to increase the number of access points to almost 20,000 6E wireless access points on campus by the end of the project.
• Installing 4,872 total wireless (or Wi-Fi) access points, with 29 buildings completed and 32 buildings substantially completed. September 2023 saw a record number of access points installed in one month, with 1,006 access points installed.
• Upgrading network switches in 48 buildings as part of the Next-Gen Wired initiative. The work at Texas A&M Health is substantially complete with the goal of being complete by the end of 2023. In total 1,100 access points have been installed on the Health Science Center campuses. 

The multi-year project is expected to be completed by 2026, with phase three now underway. The project team will continue to install access points by zones and focus on boosting wireless coverage in needed areas identified through surveys.

The Next-Gen Network project is a collaborative effort among Technology Services, Facilities and Energy Services and other campus partners.

Using DAS to Boost Indoor Cell Signal

Over the course of the Next Generation Aggie Network project, Texas A&M Health approached Technology Services about a cellular solution for staff, faculty and students at the Health Science Center location on Highway 47 in Bryan. At the time, there was no cellular service in the building. Technology Services created a distributed antenna system (DAS), an indoor cellular system, that brings commercial cellular signals inside the buildings. It consists of mounted antennas that broadcast Verizon and AT&T cellular signals. T-Mobile will be included in early 2024. This solution will allow faculty, staff and students to send and receive texts, conduct voice calls and download and upload their data using cell signals. Built with growth in mind, this state-of-the-art system can facilitate future upgrades to serve 5G with minimal effort.

Private 5G Cellular Wireless Network

Texas A&M University has designed and built a private cellular wireless network called the TAMU Private Cellular Wireless Network (TPCWN) using FCC-licensed educational broadband services radio frequency channels designed and constructed to support 4G and 5G cellular technology, and with future generations of cellular technology in mind. This private cellular wireless network will help facilitate academic research and meet operational support needs. The university operates this network with a combination of internal resources and external vendor support. The area of coverage is currently centered around Reed Arena and the surrounding area on the flagship campus, but the network will grow to cover the main campus over the next two to three years. This is a unique venture in academia and positions Texas A&M to demonstrate significant leadership in academic and operational private cellular network technology. Currently, Transportation Services is using TPCWN to connect buses to our TAMU network to reliably transport data to and from buses as they move to allow parking lot management like scanning parking passes, taking payments etc. This helps eliminate the need for Transportation to set up and tear down temporary WIFI networks on home game days creating a cost-savings for Transportation.