SuperNet Vision and History
The Alberta SuperNet is a network of fibre
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The SuperNet is designed to cover Alberta’s large geographical area (661,000 km2)source and to serve both the urban and rural populations.
Figure 7. SuperNet - How are stakeholders connected?
Source: June 8, 2016 Service Alberta IM Aware presentation - Alberta SuperNet
-optic cables and wireless connections across Alberta in over 400 communities. It consists of more than 13,000 km of fibre and 2,000 km of high-speed wireless links. The SuperNet connects more than 3,300 government services and public institutions, including over 1,950 learning centres, 650 government locations, 300 healthcare facilities, 300 libraries, and 90 Alberta municipalities, with more schools being built and connected each year. Currently, 43 First Nations communities in the Treaty 6, 7 and 8 regions, and eight Métis settlements, have SuperNet connectivity within or adjacent to their communities.
In operation since 2005, SuperNet was built to provide broadband network connectivity to Alberta public organizations and business users. The network is also leveraged by dozens of private service providers to deliver internet and other services directly to customers throughout the province14.
Figure 7. Map of the Alberta SuperNet backbone as it was originally deployed to 429 Alberta communities. Some network pathways have been modified since, but this map shows the scope of provincial coverage by the network15. Of note: there is no longer a Base Area Network and Extended Area Network, as Bell manages the entire network.
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The SuperNet was a $295 million strategic infrastructure investment by the Government of Alberta ($193 million) and Bell Canada ($102 million).
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When construction was completed in 2005
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16, the final cost, including subsequent extensions,
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was approximately $330 million17.
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At the time of completion, the SuperNet was the first jurisdiction-wide fibre optic network in North America.
The SuperNet
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was originally divided into two networks: a primary backbone made up of 27 Base Area Network (BAN) locations, and an additional 402 Extended Area Network (EAN) locations. The operation and management of the SuperNet
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was originally contracted to Axia SuperNet Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Axia NetMedia Corporation) on the Extended Area Network (EAN), and to Bell Canada on the Base Area Network (BAN).
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All public sector customers, whether on the BAN or the EAN, were managed by Axia. The initial contract agreement spanned 2005-2015, and was extended from its initial
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10-year term for an additional three-year period until June 30, 201818.
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At the time of the awarding of the initial SuperNet contract, Axia was a Calgary-based company with limited experience in telecommunications.source It has since expanded operations into France, the United States, and today operates almost 30,000 km of fibre.source In March 2016, Axia Netmedia Corporation received an acquisition offer of $272 million by the Swiss firm Partners Group and the deal was finalized on July 29, 2016.source source
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Governed by Service Alberta, a ministry of the Government of Alberta, the SuperNet now entered a second contract phase. In early 2016, Service Alberta issued a Pre-Qualification Request (PQR)
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for provincial broadband services in order to identify potential service providers,
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review business and technical requirements, and
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gather current information on industry trends
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19. In May 2016, telecommunications operators Axia, Bell,
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TELUS, and Zayo were
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pre-qualified to participate through the PQR process
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SuperNet Operating Model
The Alberta SuperNet is a backhaul network (or ‘middle-mile’) that connects on one end to local access networks (‘first-’ or ‘last-mile’ connections) and on the other end to separate networks that connect to the internet. It consists of base area (BAN) and extended area (EAN) fibre networks, as well as an extended area wireless network (EAWN). The BAN connects 27 larger urban centres, while the EAN and EAWN reach 402 smaller rural communities (see Figure 8 and Appendices: A1. Networking – SuperNet BAN, and A2. EAN and EAWN communities).
The BAN and EAN are supported by Meet-Me-Facilities (MMF) and Points of Presence (PoP), respectively, in each of the communities, to allow interconnection to other networks (e.g. access networks). The EAWN is specifically used to connect remote communities to the SuperNet. Overall, the SuperNet connects over 4,700 provincial (government, learning, health, library) and municipal facilities.source
The Government of Alberta set a universal fee structure across the province for monthly flat-rate services, irrespective of a subscriber’s physical location. This model contradicts conventional private sector telecommunications billing practices, where rates tend to be lowest in urban centres and highest in rural communities.
The SuperNet does not directly serve residential subscribers. It is intended to provide affordable wholesale fibre access to local ISPs. The ISPs can then provide last-mile connectivity and internet service to residents of SuperNet communities. For a partial list of ISPs providing services through the Alberta SuperNet, please see Appendix A3.
Public sector organizations that utilize Axia’s Next Generation Network (NGN) services include Government of Alberta ministries, schools, health facilities, libraries and municipalities.37 School districts receive subsidies for each site of $800 per month that may only be spent on connecting to the Alberta SuperNet to help offset costs.source Pricing for NGN services were revised in September 2015 for all ministries and effective until June 30, 2018. Previous to that, only Alberta Education had been able to utilize updated pricing. These packages provide bandwidth services across all government ministries, with the goal of delivering “dramatically higher bandwidth rates at a significantly lower cost per megabit.”39 Of note, the cost of connecting First Nations schools to the SuperNet is covered by the Federal Government through the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs.source
Figure 8. Map of the Alberta SuperNet showing the Base Area and Extended Area Fibre Networks and the Extended Wireless Areasource
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SuperNet NGN Service
Base package of 100 Mbps: $898/month
90 Mbps Basic
5 Mbps Interactive
5 Mbps Real Time
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Additional Megabits available in increments of 1 Mbps
Basic - $0.75/Mbps
Standard - $2.50/Mbps
Interactive - $4.00/Mbps
Real Time - $11.00/Mbps
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SuperNet Line Rate Service
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20.
After the PQR process concluded, in late 2017, Service Alberta issued a Request For Proposals (RFP) to replace the initial, extended SuperNet contract from the shortlist of Bell and Axia, as by this time TELUS and Zayo had withdrawn from the competition. The RFP was awarded to Bell Canada, who became the sole contract holder for the SuperNet as of July 1, 2018. To ease the transition process, Bell purchased Axia Netmedia Corporation and began integrating SuperNet into its national network21.
SuperNet Operating Model
New SuperNet Services since July 1, 2018
SuperNet and Rural Last Mile
References
14Bell Canada. Bell awarded SuperNet contract by the Government of Alberta. Newswire, 03 July 2019.
15Service Alberta. Layout:4 (servicealberta.ca).
16Government of Alberta release.cfm (alberta.ca). Accessed 10 February 2021.
17Middleton, C. and Given, J. (2010) Open Access Broadband Networks in Alberta, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The 38th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy, 1 October 2010. Accessed 10 February 2021.
18Axia NetMedia. Continuity of Services Assured for Axia’s Alberta Customers. Newswire, 29 August 2013. Accessed 10 February 2021.
19Service Alberta. Procurement Services. Pre-Qualification Request (PQR) For Provincial Broadband Services PQR 288-PA-PBS, Reference number: AB-2016-01170, 16 February 2016.
20Alberta Purchasing Connection. Opportunity Notice: Provincial Broadband Services, Awarded Vendors, 05 May 2016.
21Interview with Bell SuperNet Contract Manager, 08 February 2021.
Includes up to 10 Layer 2 or Layer 3 VPNs with additional VPNs available upon request at no additional cost.
Up to 4 physical 1 Gbps Ethernet Ports.
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For customers with large bandwidth requirements, but don’t need multiple classes of service.
Service can be leveraged by customers with a sophisticated network and IT team, who would like more control over their network.
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SuperNet 10 Gbps Service
10 Gbps Service:
$5,098/month
Includes up to 10 Layer 2 or Layer 3 VPNs with additional VPNs available upon request.
Includes 1 Physical 10 Gbps Ethernet Port.
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For customers with very large bandwidth requirements, but don’t need multiple classes of service.
Service can be leveraged by customers with a sophisticated network and IT team, who would like more control over their network.
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