Cleveland’s Health-Tech Corridor Becomes
High-Tech Hub
For almost a decade, Cleveland’s three-mile stretch
between University Circle and the downtown area has been
establishing itself at the prime location for biomedical,
healthcare and technology companies to come together to engage in
the business of innovation. Now, the Health-Tech
Corridor (HTC) is furthering its efforts by bringing the
world’s fastest internet to the already thriving
location.
With four world-class research and clinical institutions, eight
business incubators and accelerators, four colleges and
universities, and more than 130 high-tech companies, the HTC has a
need for speed in order for these businesses to operate and drive
economic growth. In November of 2014, the City of
Cleveland and OneCommunity received a $700,000
Economic Development Administration (EDA) Grant to install the
nation’s first commercially available metropolitan 100
gigabit network to connect businesses in Cleveland’s HTC.
The hope is that effective use of technology will transform the
region and provide a foundation for innovation and economic
development. High-speed networks have already been adapted in
cities like Chattanooga, Austin and Kansas City: Cleveland’s
will be the fastest commercially available network in the nation.
To give an example to just how fast this network is, One Community
set up a speed demonstration here to compare other networks against this one.
The 100 gigabit question is: How will it be used? Businesses
that are dependent on the transference of Big Data see the need for
having the fastest broadband availability. This network advantage
is the City and One Community’s solution to this growing
demand for speed and availability posed by companies involved with
healthcare, technology and research.
The City of Cleveland and OneCommunity are also aiming for this
innovative $1.2 million project to bring job opportunities to area
residents. “We embrace 100 gigabit as a job creation engine
for the City. Offering the first 100 gigabit capability,
specifically in the Health-Tech Corridor, incentivizes local and
national fast-growing companies to locate and remain here,”
says OneCommunity CEO Lev Gonick.
While the economic impact still remains a guess, technology
experts and area leaders are hopeful that this network will improve
quality of life by expanding the capacity of individuals, firms,
and communities to maximize the use of their talents and skills to
support innovation, and responsibly produce and trade valuable
goods and services. Everything the EDA stands for.
To learn more about this project, visit http://www.100gigcle.org/.