Carriers invited to submit initial bids for CA*net 4, although funding still in limbo

CANARIE Inc has taken the unusual step of issuing a Request for Information for a new national fibre network, despite a $150-million shortfall in federal funding. The lease on Canada’s primary university research network – CA*net 3 – expires next July and CANARIE officials say they must start the procurement process now to meet the tight deadline. Meetings with senior officials at Industry Canada have been ongoing for several months, and although no funding has been committed, CANARIE continues to be optimistic. Andrew Bjerring, the organization’s president/CEO, says the final price for the new CA*net 4 network will depend on what the private sector partners are willing to contribute, how many years the federal funding is allocated over, and what network architecture is chosen. He estimates that the government’s portion may work out to be just over $15 million annually, or $150 million over 10 years. "By and large, we’re not looking at an increase in the annual commitment for this activity, not a significant one in any event." CANARIE received $55 million from Ottawa in 1998 to build its CA*net 3 network, which is projected to reach peak capacity this fall. The lease with Bell Nexxia for CA*net 3 expires in July 2002, and it can take 18-24 months after an RFI is issued to get a new network up and running. Although CANARIE’s preference is to have its fourth generation network in place by next summer, it is considering interim measures, including extending the lease on CA*net 3 and asking contractors to have, at a minimum, key components of a new network operating by next year. Bjerring says the RFI process will tell them how much it will cost to avoid the worst case scenario – having the network go dark. "But if the price tag is such that we need help and the help isn’t forthcoming then something could go dark," he warns. "We’re certainly not suggesting that’s imminent by any stretch. That would be the ultimate consequence of inaction every step of the way for the next year. And I’m assuming that won’t happen." Unlike the current network, CA*net 4 would be a totally new network and would include wavelengths to London, England, Amsterdam, New York, to Japan, Korea, China, Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries. In Canada, CA*net 4 will connect advanced high-speed research networks in each province. According to the RFI, the proposed network will be "the world’s first user controlled optical network which will allow users to control the setup, tear down and route wavelengths across the network". This architecture will enable massive bandwidth inter-connectivity to support applications in basic research and education that will be carried out not only between universities and research centres but also between schools and eventually within individual communities. For example, CANARIE notes that the new network could host a national bio-informatics grid linking bio-informatics, or cosmic ray eScience grid interconnecting the University of Alberta and schools across the country.

Carriers invited to submit initial bids for CA*net 4, although funding still in limbo

News | 09/11/2001 4:00 am EDT

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