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| Potential routing for the Connected Coast Fibre optic project (From CityWest RFI documents) |
Earlier this week, we made note of a bit of forward momentum for the Connected Coast Fibre-Optic project, an ambitious program for connectivity that Prince Rupert's CityWest is a partner in, sharing the stage with the Strathcona Regional District.
As we explored on Wednesday, the Vancouver Island Regional District has just released the findings of some extensive community consultation among the member communities of the region.
That report made for the first snippet of information on the highly anticipated connectivity project in over a year.
As things turn out, CityWest has been somewhat active recently as well, posting a Request for Information advisory to the BC Bid website, seeking out bids from qualified organizations towards forward momentum for the project.
As the CityWest documentation on the BC Bid explains it, the status of the project at the moment is as such:
Currently, the Connected Coast Project is envisioned as a joint venture of CityWest and SRD. The Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada have both indicated receptivity to offering financial support for the Connected Coast Project, subject to final approvals.
Based on a preference from the funding agencies, each of CityWest and SRD will hold primary responsibility for a portion of the Project. Over the past two years SRD and CityWest have worked with consultants to explore solutions based on underwater fiber-optic communications cables.
Among the notes for interested providers, is a snapshot of the project and what CityWest will be responsible towards.
The overall Project will establish a backbone network to improve broadband capacity to BC’s coastal areas around Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Most of the planning work to date has assumed that fibre optic technology will be applied.
As the sponsors move to formalize the procurement, contracts, and contribution agreements with the Province of British Columbia and Canada, they intend to ensure all technologies suitable to the Project are considered and evaluated.
This RFI seeks input on any and all such suitable technologies.
The CityWest segment will deliver approximately 1,970 km of network. Along the route, for 13 km the fibre will be aerial, for 3 km it will be buried, and for 1,034 km, it will be under water This portion of the Project will connect northern rural and remote communities along BC’s coast, including a link to Haida Gwaii and connections to the Vancouver Internet Exchange and to the segment of the Project that will be undertaken by SRD.
The SRD segment will deliver approximately 2,230 km of network. Along the proposed route, for 42 km the fibre will be buried and for 2,187 km it will be under water. This portion of the Project will connect communities and anchor institutions to the South and will include connectivity around Vancouver Island.
The RFI for the Project outlines the four objectives that CityWest and Strathcona Regional District are looking to realize:
a) The Project must connect approximately 160 rural and remote coastal and First Nations communities along the BC coast from north Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, south to Vancouver and around Vancouver Island.
b) The Project will install high capacity points of presence along the way and will also connect approximately 100 anchor institutions (BC Ferries, schools, hospitals, community facilities, etc.).
c) The dedicated broadband service available must deliver the capacity to service the projected client load and offer sufficient additional bandwidth to ensure scalability and to accommodate any reasonable request for service from other service providers or clients.
d) The Project will use open standard protocols.
As well, the CityWest RFI relays the five key elements towards their call for information.
a) Identify and obtain information respecting the technologies capable of achieving the Project Objectives, including:
the construction approaches that may be appropriate to each such technology
environmental factors that determine whether the technology is appropriate for the Project
capacity limitations that may result in a technology not being appropriate for the Project
predicted mean economic life for the technology.
b) Determine the level of market interest from suppliers of Project appropriate technologies
c) Obtain Project design recommendations that would enhance the success of a future procurement opportunity for this Project
d) Obtain project duration and high-level cost estimates for planning and budget purposes
e) Provide industry with an opportunity to comment generally on the potential procurement opportunity.
The deadline for those considering submitting their bid, is July 28, at 2:00PM
The procurement Coordinator for the RFI is Michael Shoop
Procurement.Coordinator@cwct.ca
To review more background notes on the RFI, see the CityWest listing on the BC Bid site.
For a look back at some of the CityWest history on the project see our blog item of Wednesday.
Further background on CityWest in the Northwest can be reviewed from our archive page.
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