RTC I RTC IX RTC VIII RTC VII RTC VI RTC V RTC IV RTC III RTC II 30mb Savis.net OC3 SprintLink 90mb AT&T Internet OC12 NAP 75mb Nap.net 90mb Qwest OC12 OC3 DS3 T1 Backbone Points of Presence The state is divided into nine Regional Technology Centers (RTCs). These centers provide technical services. The staff located in each RTC is responsible for maintaining the ICN POPs and the circuits that connect constituent facilities. For more information on how to connect your institution to the Illinois Century Network Call (877) or ICN Points of Presence (POPs) and distribution sites are located on university campuses, community colleges, CMS facilities, private businesses, community centers, county government facilities, library systems, and Public K12 Regional Offices of Education. The stars on the map indicate an ICN Point of Presence. The number within the star indicates the MSA the POP is serving. MSAs are described on the back of this document. All ICN POPs are currently connected together via DS3 (45mbs) or faster circuits. The backbone circuits shown above will be completed by December 31, The ICN network is connected to the Internet with multiple connections ranging from DS3 to OC12 speeds. Further, five different providers are utilized to ensure that the ICN has the fastest and most robust Internet connectivity available in the state of Illinois.

The ICN backbone network is managed out of Springfield. The Illinois Department of Central Management Services operates a 24 hour, 7 day per week Network Operations Center where network problems are reported and resolved. ICN technical staff constantly monitor the network to insure that traffic is moving through all parts of the backbone efficiently. Market Service Areas (MSAs) or Local Access and Transport Areas (LATAs) define ‘communities of interest’ that may be served by one or more local telephone companies. To call or connect a data circuit from one MSA to a location in another MSA requires the services of a long distance provider such as Sprint, AT&T, or MCI. Illinois has 15 major MSAs. The ICN has established at least one point of presence (POP) in each of these MSAs. A POP is a secure and environmentally managed room where the ICN maintains and manages a variety of telecommunication equipment such as routers and ATM switches. Schools, libraries, and other entities do not have to purchase service from a long distance carrier in order to connect to the ICN. This saves ICN constituents a considerable amount of money. A state provisioned circuit from one MSA to another is, for education, typically around $1,600 per month. A circuit within an MSA is around $500 per month. Illinois Telephone Demographics The ICN aggregates traffic at the POP before passing it to the next POP or to the Internet. In this way, many entities can utilize the same set of circuits for Internet access. This set of circuits which connect the ICN POPs together and to the Internet is called the ICN network backbone. MSA 01 MSA 02 MSA 03 MSA 04 MSA 05 MSA 06 MSA 07 MSA 08 MSA 09 MSA 10 MSA 11 MSA 14 MSA 15 MSA 12 MSA 17 There are over 50 telephone companies operating in Illinois. Ameritech ( ) has approximately 70% of the market while GTE ( ) has approximately 70% of the land mass. McLeodUSA ( ) is the 3rd largest company with Gallatin Rivers ( ) being the fourth. All the white areas are small independent telephone companies. Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois 5,000c April 2000