OAK BROOK, Ill. -- Looking Glass NetworksSM Inc., a facilities-based provider of metropolitan data transport services, announced a dark fiber agreement with CENIC (the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California), a non-profit corporation founded by California’s public and private universities. Looking Glass is providing dark fiber connections to CENIC’s Los Angeles network facilities that support groundbreaking modes of teaching, learning, collaboration and research by joining all of California’s education institutions. California students and faculty from elementary schools to higher education will benefit from CENIC’ s nation-leading network infrastructure including the research communities of Stanford University, the University of California, the California State University, and the California Institute of Technology.CENIC is using Looking Glass’ dark fiber services as part of its California Research and Education Network (CalREN) initiative, which provides the entire California research and education community with the most cost-effective, advanced services network available. Looking Glass assisted CENIC in completing the first fiber connection from its backbone into the San Diego Supercomputer Center and helped establish a complete CENIC-managed backbone fiber path from Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego.“The CalREN initiative is evidence of California’s commitment to providing its residents with the most advanced education tools available today and with the facilities required to prepare for tomorrow’s innovations,” said Tom West, CEO, CENIC. “As a pioneer in the development of network infrastructure dedicated specifically to academic research, CENIC is laying a foundation that promotes seamless transfer of knowledge and increases collaborative research opportunities between all education institutions throughout the state. Looking Glass expeditiously provided critical applications necessary for CENIC to achieve its’ goal of deploying an unparalleled communications infrastructure.”Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in CaliforniaLooking Glass Networks