Ontario boosts optical telecommunications infrastructure

The Ontario government is committing up to $57 million over five years from its SuperBuild Growth Fund to link the province's key innovation players to an all-optical advanced telecommunications network. Designed to compliment CANARIE's all-optical CA*net 3, the Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) will connect all provincial universities during its first phase at a cost of $3.5 million, with another $17.2 million coming from several partners led by the Optical Research Advanced Networks Ontario consortium. Network management will be provided by ONet Networking. Other players include: LARG*net, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation, SureNet, WEDnet, and other firms. As the program rolls out, the bulk of Ontario's funds will be dedicated toward connecting colleges, research institutes, other research facilities and launching special projects.....