Eight students of computer science and business informatics at the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences had the opportunity this semester to independently build a functional network access via fiber optics. The university project took place under the direction of the lecturer Prof. Dr. Rolf Winter and in cooperation with the regional telecommunications provider M-net and the self-service company Conntac. The project ended with a presentation of the results on June 22, 2022.

The project

The goal of the university project is to build a functional network access via fiber optics (GPON), to make it manageable and regulable quasi at the push of a button. Regulation at the push of a button should make it possible to set up different configurations as easily as possible. In this way, for example, the configuration of different providers can be changed quickly. In order to determine what state the network is in at any given time, the students on the project have set up monitoring.

The project team's tasks included researching possible software components for setting up the network, designing the network, configuring all the necessary network components, implementing the required software components and documentation, and testing with Internet providers' routers.

The cooperation partners M-net and Conntac

The leading bavarian fiber optic provider M-net supported the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences project with the necessary equipment and technical expertise. During a kick-off meeting, the students had the opportunity to meet Lorenz Grehlich, Head of Planning and Implementation at M-net, and clarify technical questions about the fiber optic infrastructure.

"We are pleased to support the students of this challenging university project with our state-of-the-art fiber optic technology and practical know-how. As a telecommunications provider from the region for the region, we are keen to support research and university projects locally", says Lorenz Grehlich.

Another cooperation partner is the Augsburg-based IT company Conntac. Conntac develops self-service solutions for technical customer service, with a focus on the telecommunications industry. Managing Director and Co-Founder Benjamin Wöhrl provided the students with industry and product knowledge during the kick-off.

"Conntac GmbH emerged from a research group at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. The combination of science and business was therefore particularly important to us as a company right from the start. We are pleased to be able to work together with M-net and the students on this exciting project", says Benjamin Wöhrl, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Conntac GmbH.