High-speed network deal benefits Catholic schools

More than 150 WA Catholic schools will benefit from a new high-speed network, following a deal with Orro Group.

Catholic Education Western Australia (CEWA) operates as a single, state-based system, with schools and offices located across the Dioceses of Broome, Bunbury, Geraldton and the Archdiocese of Perth.

Technology is playing an increasing role in the K–12 education sector and has transformed the way in which teachers engage with their students. As the reliance on digital tools and resources increases, access to fast, stable and secure connectivity has become an essential requirement to deliver high-quality educational outcomes.

The solution from Orro incorporates the establishment of dual NBN fibre services (Enterprise Ethernet and FTTP) plus 4G connectivity into every school, increasing the resiliency of the network. Schools will see connection speeds increase by more than 400%, significantly improving the quality of digital learning services.

“We’re pleased to partner with Orro on this project, as it gives students and staff access to an educationally focused network, which scales to support future learning environments. The network delivers high performance, security and stability, as well as better management and cost savings for our schools,” said Tony Panetta, Chief Information Officer at CEWA.

A particular focus of the project has been to deliver equitable connectivity to ensure that students in regional and remote communities have access to the same digital learning resources as students in metropolitan-based schools.

“As our schools require continuous access to online services, Orro’s ability to incorporate telecommunication services from multiple carriers has enabled the creation of a highly resilient network,” Panetta said.

CEWA has made a substantial investment in the development and implementation of a new digital learning platform which provides students with access to a range of innovative learning resources. The platform also enables students, staff, parents and administrators to communicate and collaborate more effectively. The effectiveness of this investment is reliant on the performance and reliability of the underlying network.

Orro deployed the network over a 12-month period, replacing an existing MPLS WAN solution. Furthermore, Orro will assume responsibility for the ongoing management of the network.

“This project underpins CEWA’s commitment to providing our students and teachers with access to the very latest in digital educational resources, irrespective of whether they reside in metropolitan, regional or remote parts of our state,” said Dr Debra Sayce, Executive Director at CEWA.

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