Over the last 10 years, broadband internet access speeds have increased so dramatically that it is hard to believe that it used to take a few minutes to open simple web pages. In some countries, like Japan and France, internet access speeds of over 50 Megabits per second are the average. A few years ago, in Sweden, the fastest internet connection speed was recorded at an astonishing 40 Gigabits per second. With these speeds it is difficult to imagine a time with only dial-up connections available.
The future is looking bright for many countries that have the time and resources to improve their current internet infrastructure as current data transfer infrastructure cables are not capable of carrying the speeds that internet service providers will be able to offer in the future. Though it is not an easy process to replace all the currently installed telephone cables with newer technologies such as optical cables that will be able to support hugely increased speeds.
One particularly resourceful way of increasing broadband speeds is by using current electrical power lines to send data. Because internet data is transferred at a different frequency than electricity, the power grid of a country can be utilized to also connect people to the internet. However, there is at least one issue that needs to be overcome if it is going to be a success. Recent test have shown that when data is transmitted through overground, poorly insulated cables, the broadband data transfer can disrupt nearby radio signals, particularly those that are used by amateur radio operators. It could be possible, though, for a broadband connection to be established just by plugging into an electrical outlet and enjoying possible access speeds of up to 200Mbps.
Along with the possibility of using BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) is the newest incarnation of mobile broadband, WIMAX. WIMAX, also known as 4G, will be a vast improvement on the previous versions of mobile broadband that have been available for some time now. The speeds that WIMAX could offer could possibly make broadband access through cables a thing of the past. How does 70 Megabits per second at a distance of 30 miles from a transmitter sound?
Satellite technology is currently being used for many purposes, not least of which is by watching television channels. It is actually possible for broadband internet data to be transmitted and received through current satellite communication systems. Although the costs of the hardware needed to receive the data are quite high (around $3000 fitted), the possible speeds that could be produced are lightning quick even by today’s standards. The maximum advertised speeds is reported to be around 375 Megabytes per second, compared to BPL figures of a possible 25 Megabytes. If and when the cost of initiating a satellite broadband access system is reduced somewhat, the take up would surely be huge.
To sum up, don’t worry if you are still finding that your broadband connection is not quick enough for your needs, the future holds some impressive advances in technology that will mean the end of blank white screens and video buffering.
Continue : Broadband