About

The mission of ARE-ON is to promote, develop, and apply leading technologies to support and enhance research, education, public safety, health care, and economic development in the state of Arkansas.
ARE-ON is a not-for-profit organization in Arkansas that is passionate about providing our members with technical expertise, cost-effective network services, and personal connections with a high level of customer service. We create a collaborative community for local anchor institutions to leverage technology resources and knowledge to achieve their goals.

ARE-ON is the first choice for technology services for higher-education, healthcare, and anchor institutions in Arkansas. ARE-ON offers a variety of services that gives our members access to leading technology solutions while maximizing their resources. A recognized leader in Arkansas, ARE-ON is a collaborative partner and works at the state and national level to drive essential services and value through broadband utilization.

Image

Who We Serve

Image

HIGHER EDUCATION

Image

HEALTHCARE

Image

PUBLIC SAFETY

How We Work


ARE-ON is a membership consortium formally founded by a group of twelve Arkansas four-year universities in 2009. Since then, ARE-ON has grown to include two-year colleges, public and private four-year universities, and hospitals. Connecting to ARE-ON and receiving services requires a membership application and acceptance by the ARE-ON board of directors and meeting the membership criteria of being a higher-education, healthcare, or public safety organization.

ARE-ON is an unincorporated not-for-profit organization governed by a 16 member board of directors consisting of presidents and chancellors of Arkansas’s many higher-ed institutions. We are supported administratively by the University of Arkansas System but are self-funded through membership fees and other revenues.

OUR

History


ARE-ON was developed as a concept in the early 2000s, initially a collaboration between IT leaders at the University of Arkansas and national network leaders. The goal was to explore how higher education could benefit from a state-wide research network similar to others forming in other states. The initial planning for a state-wide optical network connecting the 4-year public colleges and universities began in 2005. This effort was supported by $6.4 million in one-time General Improvement funds and $9.4 million from higher education general obligation bonds.

Work began in 2006 to acquire dark fiber infrastructure to build interstate connections between Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville was the first institution connected to ARE-ON’s newly formed network in December of 2006. From 2007 to 2009, work continued to build out the ARE-ON capabilities and connect four-year higher-education institutions directly to ARE-ON. In December 2009, ARE-ON was formalized as a membership consortium with the signing of an MOU among 12 higher-ed institutions, which became the founding connected members of the network. The four-year universities were substantially connected by June of 2010.

In 2010, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) awarded the University of Arkansas System $102 million as part of the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). ARE-ON received $41.2 million of that award to finish connecting the remaining higher education institutions and create the state-wide telehealth backbone for UAMS known as the Arkansas e-Link Network. The NTIA BTOP award funded fiber connections to several two-year colleges around the state to participate in the growing applications of the ARE-ON Network. The BTOP work was completed in September of 2013. Since then, ARE-ON has continued to grow its footprint and capabilities, connecting more than 39 separate member institutions and several dozen healthcare and higher-education sites around Arkansas.

Stay Connected

Sign up for the latest ARE-ON updates, announcements and events.

Subscribe to ARE-ON News

* indicates required