SLCC Doubles Internet Capacity to Keep Students Connected and Learning

UEN recently helped SLCC address bandwidth issues to keep students connected and learning.

For students at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), the ability to connect to courses, instructors, classmates and online tools is essential. Whether they’re submitting assignments through Canvas, attending virtual lectures, accessing cloud-based lab software or watching video content, everything depends on a fast, stable internet connection.

That’s why SLCC has taken major steps to upgrade its internet infrastructure, doubling its bandwidth capacity and adding a backup connection to help prevent outages.

The upgrade, made in partnership with the Utah Education Network (UEN), replaces the college’s two 10-gigabit-per-second connections with two 25-gigabit connections. A third 10-gigabit connection from SLCC’s Miller Campus is also coming online to serve as a backup if the main Redwood Campus link fails.

“Most days, our network is running at only about 20% capacity. But one unexpected traffic surge was enough to completely saturate our links.” said Troy Thompson, SLCC’s Director of Infrastructure Operations

That surge happened during a routine system update—when most of SLCC South Campus computers downloaded large software packages all at once. It lasted only minutes, but it effectively cut off internet access across the college during that window. Faculty had limited ability to teach online. Students had limited access to assignments or course materials.

Now, with more than double the previous capacity, the upgraded network ensures that SLCC can meet growing digital demands—from video streaming and remote testing to virtual labs and AI-driven learning platforms. It also provides more stability for hybrid and online classes that are now a core part of the student experience.

For faculty and staff, the improvement supports more consistent access to cloud-based systems and digital collaboration tools. For students, it means fewer delays, fewer disruptions and fewer missed opportunities to engage.

“This kind of infrastructure work isn’t flashy, but it’s essential,” said Joe Clyde, UETN Associate Director of Network Engineering. “As digital demands grow, we need to make sure students and educators have the connectivity they need to succeed.”

While most students may never think twice about the bandwidth behind their classroom experience, the impact is clear: a more resilient, responsive network means more time learning and less time waiting for a page to load.

 

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