computer science

Sidera Networks

Sidera Networks is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sidera Networks rather than just read about it. In short: Sidera Networks was an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City which primarily provided fiber optic network infrastructure to cellular carriers, financial services, education, healthcare, government, legal services and media industries. The company was acquired by Lightower Fiber Networks on April 11, 2013.

Key takeaways

Sidera Networks belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sidera Networks to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sidera Networks from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sidera Networks was an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City which primarily provided fiber optic network infrastructure to cellular carriers, financial services, education, healthcare, government, legal services and media industries. The company was acquired by Lightower Fiber Networks on April 11, 2013.

History and acquisitions Sidera Networks began as RCN Corporation, a publicly traded telecommunications company, based out of Herndon, VA. RCN Corporation was founded in 1993 by developer David McCourt and Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc. In 1998, RCN Corporation became one of the ten largest Internet service providers in the country after acquiring Virginia-based Erols Internet, Inc. and Boston-based UltraNet Communications to strengthen the data side of its business. That same year, RCN acquired Interport Communications in New York City and Springfield, Massachusetts-based JavaNet, Inc., which linked high schools and colleges to the Internet. In March 2006, RCN Corporation created the subsidiary, RCN Business Solutions, with the acquisition of Con Edison Communications (CEC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc. RCN Business Solutions also built and operated its own fiber optic network in New York City. This network leveraged the electric utility rights of way. After acquiring NEON Communications in November 2007, RCN Business Solutions became RCN Metro Optical Networks, providing telecommunication services to enterprises and carrier customers. Founded in 1989 as FiveCom, NEON owned and operated a fiber optic network in twelve Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states and was a wholesale service provider of high bandwidth transport services to service providers and Fortune 100 companies. In September 2010, RCN Metro Optical Networks re-launched as Sidera Networks. The change was a result of ABRY Partners, LLC's acquisition of RCN Corporation on August 26, 2010. Later that year, Sidera Networks made two additional acquisitions. In November 2010, Sidera acquired Cross Connect Solutions, Inc. a Philadelphia-based colocation provider, adding 28,000 square feet (2,600 m2) of colocation space to Sidera's existing portfolio. In December 2010, Sidera Networks acquired Long Island Fiber Exchange] (LIFE), adding 900 miles (1,400 km) of fiber and 550 lit buildings to its footprint. On December 27, 2012, Sidera announced that it would merge with Lightower Fiber Networks in a transaction valued at over $2 billion led by Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm. Pamlico Capital, a significant Lightower investor, and ABRY Partners, a significant Sidera investor, would remain as investors in the new company. The combined company was led by then Lightower CEO, Rob Shanahan.

Services Sidera Networks' suite of facilities-based services included:

Ethernet SONET Wavelength Internet access Colocation Custom Private Optical Network Dark fiber network Central Office Access Managed Services including Network Operations Center, Managed Router and Remote Hands services

Footprint Sidera Networks' footprint included: Albany, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Burlington, Chicago, Hartford, Manchester, New York City, Long Island, Newark, Philadelphia, Portland, Providence, Washington D.C., London and Toronto.

Fiber Miles: Approximately 450,000 Route Miles: Approximately 12,500 On-Net Locations: Approximately 2,900 Colocation Facilities: 30

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sidera Networks

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sidera Networks claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sidera Networks before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sidera Networks ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sidera Networks

In research: Sidera Networks appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sidera Networks in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sidera Networks is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fiber-optic communications, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sidera Networks outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sidera Networks in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sidera Networks means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sidera Networks out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sidera Networks in simple terms?

Why does Sidera Networks matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sidera Networks?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sidera Networks.