UTS embarks on "$20 million-plus" network refresh

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has embarked on a “$20 million-plus refresh” of its network and wi-fi infrastructure across every campus.

The university has engaged Nexon Asia Pacific to deliver the network modernisation, which covers wired and wireless, core and edge infrastructure, data centre connectivity and security controls.

This will include the rollout of wi-fi 7 equipment, and is designed to support bandwidth-heavy and data-rich workloads, particularly as AI use continues to grow.

“The students arriving at UTS by the end of the decade will be the first to have grown up with AI woven through their everyday lives,” UTS CIO David Reeve said in a statement.

“They’ll expect learning environments that match their digital fluency and research facilities built for the data volumes ahead. 

“Our network has to be ready for them.”

So far, UTS and Nexon have completed design work and a proof-of-concept.

The program now moves into an 18-month build phase, with Nexon providing “ongoing managed services, strategic advisory and support continuing across a multi-year term.”

Part of the architecture includes the Extreme Platform ONE, which is used to manage and secure the network.

The network “refresh” forms part of a broader “modernisation agenda” at UTS that is said to cover platforms, AI and data, core systems and the physical campus and will underpin “a digital-first student experience through UTS 2030 and beyond”.