Wireless but not clueless
Box 4 | Increasing speed
One of the big advantages of using the super high frequency range is that more bandwidth is available to rapidly transfer a large amount of data, an important quality when used for computer-to-computer communication. A 120-minute movie can be transferred over a WLAN connection in twelve minutes, while it would take about one-and-a-half hours over a typical broadband connection. But even faster speeds are possible over networks now in development. Researchers from CSIRO, National ICT Australia and Macquarie University are experimenting with the millimetre-wave radio spectrum at frequencies of more than 55 GHz ('extremely high frequency'), which can transfer information a hundred times faster than a WLAN. Operating in this part of the radio-wave spectrum has its own issues and problems, but uses will almost certainly be found for it in the next few years. One European consortium has already tested the use of millimetre-frequency radios mounted on a helium-filled balloon floating 24,000 metres above earth to provide internet connections to users at ground level. The idea is to provide high-speed internet access in areas where land-based networks are impractical.
Boxes
Box 1. Hotspots and meshes
Box 2. Remote sensors and their applications
Box 3. Security and encryption
Box 5. Competition
Related sites
Balloon beams broadband internet from stratosphere (New Scientist, 19 October 2005)
4G prototypes reach blistering speeds (New Scientist, 2 September 2005)
Wireless technology: New shores waiting for net surfers (Solve, August 2006)
Posted January 2007.