The provincial government has given the green light to a list of communities which will be first to merge onto the high-speed information highway known as Alberta SuperNet.

As reported in Business Edge in January, work is already under way to link the first communities of Sylvan Lake, Benalto, Eckville, Condor, Leslieville and Rocky Mountain House with existing fibre-optic wiring and related technology by end of this summer.

The $295-million high-capacity system, a partnership between the Alberta government, Bell Intrigna and Calgary-based Axia NetMedia, will eventually connect 422 rural communities and 4,700 facilities and include links to government offices, hospitals and schools.

It will also allow Albertans to purchase previously unavailable Internet services.

Other communities will be grouped and phased in by segments, with all having access by the winter of 2004, the government confirmed recently.

“Never before has such an innovative network been implemented on such a massive and cost-effective scale,” Alberta Innovation and Science Minister Victor Doerksen said in a statement.

Communities scheduled for SuperNet connections by the end of next winter include Blackfalds, Devon, Drayton Valley, Fort Saskatchewan, Hobbema and Nisku.

Red Deer, Banff-Canmore-Jasper, Bragg Creek, Chestermere and Hinton are among the towns scheduled for completion in spring 2003. Airdrie is slated for fall 2003.

Major providers including Shaw, TELUS, Group Telecom and Bell will be interconnected to the SuperNet, and pay a fee for the privilege of selling their services, which will ride on top of the transport network.

The wholesale rates charged to ISPs in the smaller communities will be based on those charged to urban Alberta ISPs.

The provincial government is investing up to $193 million over three years to build the network, while contractor Bell Intrigna, along with partner Bell Nexxia, will invest $102 million to build the base area.

Axia SuperNet Ltd., a subsidiary of Axia NetMedia Corp., has been sub-contracted by Bell Intrigna to build the extended area, and holds a 10-year renewable contract to manage and operate the network.

(For the complete construction rollout schedule, see www.albertasupernet.ca)