New network moves data at warp speed
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By ALAN TOULIN
Ottawa Bureau Chief The Financial Post
Canada has leap-frogged the U.S. in developing the next generation of Internet hardware -- an optical network -- Industry
Minister John Manley said yesterday.
The optical network, to be called CA*net 3, is the first Internet system built from the ground up for carrying voice, video and
data, said Andrew Bjerring, president and chief executive of Canadian Network for the Advancement of Research Industry &
Education Inc.
Canarie was developed by Ottawa to bring public- and private-sector participants in communications and computer
technologies together to work on common projects.
Two earlier versions of Internet networks have been based on existing communications infrastructure that was designed
originally to carry only voice data.
Yesterday, Manley, and a consortium of companies, said the network, based on fibre-optic technology, could be operational
by October.
The overall cost of installing the network will be $120 million, with the federal government paying $55 million. The rest will be
picked up by a consortium of companies led by Bell Canada, working under the auspices of Canarie.
Other participants, which will supply components for the network, include Cisco Systems Canada Co., JDS Fitel Inc.,
Newbridge Networks Corp. and Northern Telecom Ltd.
"CA*net 3 is the world's first network that completely eliminates the old reliance on traditional voice infrastructure," said
Manley. "This places it an entire generation beyond all other networks. Over CA*net 3, the movement of data will be able to
more closely approximate the speed of light."
By way of comparison, the fastest U.S. network can deliver the entire contents of the U.S. Library of Congress in one minute.
CA*net 3 will be able to do this in one second.
The network will be a tool for researchers in government labs and universities who can use it to develop services and
computer applications at the leading edge of technology, Manley said. |
