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ISP Review looks at the possible future of broadband technologies |
 Technology will fade into the background, as it adapts to the user, regardless of where you are, what appliance you're on, or how far from home you are. So it's not just going to be about how much bandwidth you've got, but what you do with it!" Wireless Wireless technology, be it wide or local area (Hotspot) access, has always had a great deal of potential behind it. Numerous standards are being developed (UltraWideBand [UWB] etc.), many that foresee a time when speeds of up to 70Megabits/ps+ could be possible over a greater distance. For now the technology remains limited by several problems, mainly coverage. While this will improve, the multitude of competing standards designed for different uses make such a market difficult to standardise. Consequently there are hardly any broadband wireless providers that cover a wide area and could thus be considered ‘national’ providers in the same vein as ADSL or cable operators might. While 3G mobile phone technology and Wi-Fi hotspots could help, their costing structure is currently not suitable for extended home Internet access. In conclusion, while wireless may not currently be considered a serious contender to the likes of ADSL, a future of cheaper access, roaming deals and greater standardisation will see it standing firm outside the door, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce. Satellite Satellites, both old and new, are hugely complex pieces of engineering, costing millions to develop and propel into orbit. Consequently they’ve only ever appealed to a limited number of consumer types, usually businesses and those living in the remotest of locations. In recent years the situation has improved, with competition from land-based services (ADSL etc.) forcing satellite operators to adopt more competitive economics. Sadly the cost (vs flexibility of land base solutions), reliability and performance issues with such providers has long been a concern for anybody considering the technology. Unsurprisingly a future dominated
by accessible and super fast (up to 20Mbps+) land-based broadband services
poses a very serious threat. While many satellite operators can burst
speeds up to several megabits per second, going even faster (persistently)
would be neither easy nor cheap. [Print Page | Next Page (6)]>>
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