AT&T Canada has activated an additional 4,146 kilometer
segment of its national broadband fiber optic network.
This most recent segment to be activated includes two fiber optic rings. The
first is a 1,664 kilometer ring connecting Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.
The second connects Winnipeg, Chicago, Detroit, and Toronto over 2,482
kilometers.
The rings were completed late last year and are now carrying voice, data and
Internet traffic across the country as part of AT&T Canada’s national
intercity and intracity broadband network, which is now over 17,000
kilometers in length.
The activation of the new segment of the national network only one part of
AT&T Canada’s national broadband build. A 4,475 kilometer segment of a 10
Gbps fiber optic network between Toronto and Vancouver was activated in July
of 1999 and additional segments between Vancouver and Seattle were activated
earlier in 1999.
The network was built using Nortel Networks 10 Gbps OC-192
equipment and D-WDM optical networking solution–delivering up to 320
Gigabits per second of broadband capacity.
The migration of traffic onto the new network will allow AT&T Canada to
achieve significant cost savings from reduced usage of leased routes. Owning
the network from end-to-end also is expected to allow the company greater control over
service and quality while at the same time enhancing service turn-up and new
product deployment cycle times.
AT&T Canada is Canada’s largest facilities-based voice, data,
and Internet telecommunications provider. It was created in June 1999 from
the merger of AT&T Canada Long Distance Services, MetroNet Communications,
Netcom Canada, and ACC TelEnterprises.
