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BCNETwork News
June 2007
A Winning Partnership: BCNET, CANARIE and Netera Deliver More Bandwidth to Western Canadian Researchers than Ever Before
Closing in on its final stages of completion, the Western ROADM project will deliver unfettered network capacity to British Columbia’s science and higher education community. The project not only highlights the unprecedented bandwidth available to our members, but also tells a story of a successful three-way partnership between CANARIE, BCNET and Netera to build and operate a shared optical network across Western Canada.
This winning partnership is a result of an exceptional team, from dedicated project management to detailed communication, which has ensured the sharing of tasks and equipment. At the outset of the ROADM project, BCNET established a working group between the three organizations to distribute tasks, timelines and deliverables. Over the past nine months, the group's members have been logging issues, risks and status to ensure the project is delivered on time and on budget. Together, the engineers managed the contracting of fibre and conducted equipment purchasing, testing, site surveys and operation procedures to deploy the expanded network.
The project phases include preparing for the installation of equipment and gauging facility preparedness, as well as conducting wavelength testing. Once the fibre is lit, researchers will have unlimited capacity to collaborate with their peers around the world.
What ROADM Does for BC
Expands BC’s scientific infrastructure
Enhances BC’s ability to participate in leading-edge global research initiatives
Provides BC’s researchers with the capability to innovate and improve productivity
Attracts and retains researchers in BC
Preserves BC as a leader in advanced network architecture
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Leading Edge Technology Supports a Shared Infrastructure
Not only is the partnership unique--the Western ROADM Project itself represents an innovative new step in networking technology and is enabling advancements that were never before achievable. Imagine having access to 72, 10- gigabit wavelengths over a network. Now, envision being able to partition off wavelengths directly for your needs, when and where you need it—all remotely! The ability to remotely manage the network will save engineers both time and money.
This shared infrastructure will allow each party to division off the channels they need for their initial use while promising lots of room to grow. BCNET plans to employ two wavelengths initially and CANARIE will utilize three. But, with 72 wavelengths available for shared use, there is more than enough bandwidth to accommodate big science projects potentially for the next decade.
“Under our agreement with CANARIE, BCNET is going to have access to a sizeable portion of that 72-wavelength capacity, but will only invest in lighting up a few wavelengths to start,” says Michael Hrybyk, President and CEO, BCNET. “As the research programs grow at Thompson Rivers University or at UBC (University of British Columbia) Okanagan or the University of Victoria, we can light up additional wavelengths as we need them, and for relatively small incremental costs.”
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