Paducah, Kentucky Quad State Internet, LLC (QSI) today announced the launch of the Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois Educational Research Network (WKSI-ERN), a new regional initiative created to advance educational, scientific, and technical collaboration throughout Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois.

Powered by QSI’s 100-gigabit backbone and scalable to 400 Gbps, WKSI-ERN connects schools, universities, laboratories, and qualified researchers across the region. The initiative provides participants with access to dark fiber, high-capacity transport, and research interconnection services to enable experimentation, distributed learning, and data-driven studies.

WKSI-ERN is also designed to interconnect Learning and Design Centers, innovation hubs, and research facilities, creating a collaborative environment where educators and students can launch new digital learning initiatives, share data-intensive projects, and test emerging network technologies in real-world conditions. By providing direct connectivity between regional education and design environments, the network fosters innovation and hands-on research across academic and technical disciplines.

WKSI-ERN participants will also gain the opportunity to connect directly to the Paducah Internet Exchange (PIE-35), Kentucky’s largest and fastest-growing Internet exchange point. The exchange, sponsored by Quad State Internet, provides a regional platform for direct peering between carriers, cloud networks, and academic partners. Through the WKSI-ERN, educational institutions will be able to obtain high-performance, low-latency interconnection to the broader Internet community, improving collaboration and digital access for research and innovation.

“Quad State Internet’s mission has always been to empower progress through connectivity,” said Preston Louis Ursini, Chief Executive Officer of Quad State Internet. “By sponsoring open access to the Paducah Internet Exchange and launching WKSI-ERN, we’re building an environment where students, educators, and researchers can test new ideas, explore emerging technologies, and connect to global networks from right here in Western Kentucky.”

The creation of WKSI-ERN marks a major milestone for regional digital infrastructure. It establishes a neutral platform for collaboration that promotes innovation, strengthens local research capabilities, and positions Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois as an emerging center for applied technology and network development.

About Quad State Internet

Quad State Internet, LLC is a facilities-based fiber network operator serving Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois. With a 100 Gbps Internet backbone, scalable transport capacity, and regional fiber infrastructure, QSI delivers broadband, wavelength, colocation, and interconnection services to homes, businesses, and institutions. QSI proudly sponsors the Paducah Internet Exchange (PIE-35), connecting carriers, educational networks, and content providers throughout the central United States.

---

Find more posts