City, TRU to be connected
Everybody likes a good bargain — and so does the city.
Council has approved extending its fibre-optic network, known as the Kamloops Community Network, to Thompson Rivers University.
The university, through BCNet, the organization that looks after computer networks for all universities in the province, is picking up 80 per cent of the $231,000 tab to complete the extension.
That leaves the city covering $46,500, plus $1,735 annually for the extension project.
“I think it’s a cheap investment for what we’ll get out of it right away,” said Frank Mayhood, the city’s information technology manager.
The extension will give TRU and city hall a backup fibre-optic line in the event cables are damaged in some way.
Specifically, the city uses the Public Works Centre (PWC) as its emergency operations centre, so the expansion gives the city a full backup for the area.
The plan is to construct a 96-strand fibre-optic cable from Mission Flats Road to the PWC, and build a 48-strand cable from Hillside Drive and University Drive North.
The project also upgrades the existing 12-strand cable, at the east side of the Overlanders Bridge leading to Mission Flats, to a 96-strand optic line.
A city report noted BCNet will receive 24 strands of spliced and tested connectivity from the campus to the fibre-optic centre located at city hall.
The city will take six strands for itself, while the rest is available to provide services to other private or public-sector businesses that want high-speed telecommunications.
Construction on the new line is expected to begin at the end of the month and be completed by the end of 2011.
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