Georgetown University announced a plan Jan. 20 to upgrade the university’s network infrastructure and wireless connectivity on the Hilltop and Capitol campuses.
The university, partnering with multinational technology corporation Cisco, plans to gradually deploy WiFi 7, the newest generation of wireless network technology, throughout both campuses over the next six years. The partnership marks one of the first implementations of next-generation WiFi on a university campus, according to the press release.
Douglas Little, Georgetown’s chief information officer, said the network upgrade will address connectivity issues in high-traffic areas such as classrooms and residence halls.
“Georgetown’s new network will deploy the latest WiFi 7 technology, which provides faster speeds, lower network latency, and the ability to service more devices on GU’s WiFi system,” Little wrote to The Hoya. “These attributes are especially important in high-density areas such as classrooms, residence halls and common gathering places. Part of the project also enhances WiFi in outdoor gathering spaces.”
Gary DePreta, senior vice president of Cisco’s U.S. public sector organization, said the Georgetown community will feel the change universally.
“For students, faculty and staff, this means seamless, high-speed connectivity — supporting everything from streaming lectures to groundbreaking research handling massive datasets with ease,” DePreta wrote to The Hoya. “With WiFi 7 and the expanded 6 GHz spectrum, everyone on campus will benefit from faster speeds, lower latency and more reliable connections.”
WiFi 7 is more than three times faster than WiFi 6, the previous iteration, and is supported by modern cellphones and computers.
Blake Mahoney (SFS ’29), who has experienced difficulties with university WiFi, said that inconsistent wireless connection inflicts unnecessary stress on students.
“It adds to the frustrations that I have,” Mahoney told The Hoya. “And, even though it’s a little thing, it pushes me over the edge, and we, as students at an already rigorous university, don’t need that.”
Tristan Faillace (SFS ’29), who has faced issues in classes due to WiFi, said he is excited by a faster network infrastructure coming to Georgetown.
“I’m happy that we’re gonna have this new, powerful, stronger version of WiFi,” Faillace told The Hoya. “Among the student body, complaints are often directed at Georgetown’s facilities, so I am sure this change, if effective, will be well-received.”
Faillace also said the current system is significantly worse in certain areas of campus, like the Intercultural Center (ICC).
“On the first floor of the ICC, I can never get a reliable WiFi connection,” Faillace said. “I feel that this issue contributes to a lot of annoyance because it affects my teacher’s ability to broadcast slides, and my ability to take notes in class.”
Little said each building at the university has its own network to accommodate user movement.
“When users move around, the wireless access points automatically change their configurations to accommodate that traffic,” Little wrote. “Each building has its own independent network and coordinates handoffs of client traffic between buildings when traffic demand changes and when people move from one building or floor to another.”
Currently, Georgetown’s campuses contain over 6,000 wireless access points and 50,000 active devices, all of which dynamically adjust their channel, power and bandwidth configurations to accommodate traffic, according to Little.
Little said much of the problem lies in the university’s outdated infrastructure.
“We have seen a steady increase in the number of devices and the bandwidth needed to accommodate more video traffic than ever before,” Little wrote. “Some buildings have very old WiFi, while newer locations have more modern, powerful equipment. This project will replace all WiFi over the next six years to meet increasing demand.”
Little said the new technology will improve connectivity and network speeds.
“The new WiFi access points will be able to handle more device connections and higher upload and download speeds per wireless access point,” Little wrote.
Little added that the new system gives Georgetown a unique advantage as academia increases its technological demands, including through artificial intelligence (AI).
“Cisco has AI natively built into the network management tools to simplify operations and ensure network health,” Little wrote. “This optimizes performance and helps to prevent congestion and ensure consistent performance in high-density areas — like a university campus.”
