Alberta Venture Special Insert - October 2006

Find out how Albertans, especially in rural areas, are Harnessing the SuperNet Advantage (PDF).

Alberta SuperNet is now operational throughout the province

The high-speed Alberta SuperNet is now built and operational in thousands of facilities in 429 communities across Alberta, making the province more connected than ever before. (link to news release issued September 30, 2005)

All rural Alberta SuperNet communities can now handle Internet service provider (ISP) traffic. ISPs can now buy bandwidth at reasonable, uniform rates across the province.

Dozens of ISPs have identified communities that they are planning to serve. If you would like to know which ISPs are planning to offer Internet access in your rural community using SuperNet, please visit www.axia.com/documents/networks/SuperNet_ISPs.pdf. Axia is the private company contracted by the Government of Alberta to manage commercial access to Alberta SuperNet. Axia's customer engineering team works with ISPs to ensure their equipment meets the network's technical standards and specifications.

Getting a SuperNet ISP in your area

You have an important role to play in encouraging ISPs to sign up to use Alberta SuperNet. Now that the network is ready and waiting to connect ISPs, it's important for Alberta businesses and residents of SuperNet communities to contact service providers to make them aware of the demand for service in your area. If you already know of ISPs in or near your area, you could call and ask whether they plan to use Alberta SuperNet.

You may also wish to contact other ISPs to encourage them to bring high-speed service to your community using Alberta SuperNet. There is no official government listing of ISPs. Your local Chief Administrative Officer or town manager may have suggestions. Another starting point for locating possible ISPs is www.canadianISP.com. This site is a free service where ISPs can list themselves. It is therefore not a comprehensive list, but it might get you started.

If you are a business, organization or part of a community group that would like information on using Alberta SuperNet to connect your local area, contact Axia at 1-866-773-3348 or customer.care@axia.com. You may also find it helpful to contact other ISPs for advice on getting started. As well, your local regional economic development offices may be able to assist with business plans, and provide advice on marketing, financing, sales, and other aspects or visit http://www.axia.com/projects/SP_Becomingaserviceprovider.htm.

Rest assured however, if no ISP expresses interest in a particular community, the Government has arranged for an ISP of last resort. Ultimately, every rural SuperNet community will have ISP service over Alberta SuperNet.

It's fitting that the Alberta SuperNet will be complete during the Province's centennial year, after all, we're building more than a network, we're building a future.

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