Sidebar 3: anatomy of a fiber optic network

Like Rome, the University of Michigan's campus‐wide fiber optic network was not built in a day. During an intense three‐week period in May 1988, Pradeep Patel, Transmission Engineer at University Telecommunications, managed to squeeze in 210 hours to complete the detailed engineering plans for the campus‐wide fiber optic network. Prior to this period, Patel and other UMTel and Information Technology Division employees were involved in every stage of network specification and implementation. Designing a practical, workable cable layout for a network covering 25 miles and connecting 72 buildings was no small job.