THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET

InterNet Access Network ( )
Fri, 23 Apr 1999 15:07:14 -0400

>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Internet Tip of the Day:
>
>THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET
>
>The Internet may be one of the greatest technological advances
>in human history. It enables us to communicate with anybody
>worldwide, instantly. It allows us to search and retrieve any
>kind of information we can imagine. As great as the Internet
>is, it still has long way to go.
>
>Right now most of us connect to the Internet using a modem and
>the local phone system. Using the traditional phone system
>has several disadvantages. It's slow, inconvenient and often
>troublesome.
>
>The phone system was never designed to transfer data, only
>voice. Today's modems are pushing the edge of phone
>technology. In other words, modems probably won't get any
>faster. As it is, most of the time our modems can't get a
>"clean" enough connection to operate at full-speed. Even when
>they do get connected, random phone interference often randomly
>disconnects them.
>
>So, what does the future hold? Most likely in the future all
>of us will be connected to the Internet full-time. That means
>we won't need to dial in and connect - we'll always be
>connected. In addition to that, our connection speed will
>probably be at least ten times faster than our current modem
>speeds.
>
>How we connect is anyone's guess. Right now there are three or
>four technologies that look promising:
>
>Cable access - Most city homes have cable tv. There are a
>number of companies that are beginning to offer Internet
>through the cable system. The cable system wasn't originally
>designed for Internet, so most cable companies are having to
>redesign their system for Internet use. If you live a bit out
>of the city you may not have cable access and this may not be
>an option for you.
>
>DSL - The phone companies don't want to be left out of the
>high-speed Internet game, so they've introduced xDSL access.
>It's fast, but has the limitation of only working within a 3-5
>mile radius of the phone company's equipment. If you live more
>than 3 - 5 miles away, you probably won't be able to use this.
>
>Satellite - Bill Gates and Craig McCaw (a wireless phone
>pioneer) have teamed up to form a company called Teledesic that
>will offer Internet via satellite. Regardless of where you
>live, you should be able to access the Internet via this
>method. The plan is to launch 288 small satellites into a low
>earth orbit. The satellites will form a blanket over the
>world, giving access to everybody and allowing data to be moved
>across the globe from one satellite to the next. Although this
>service will be aimed at businesses, it may trickle down to end
>consumers.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----------
>Web Site of the Day
>
>If you would like to learn more about Teledesic and how it
>works, visit:
>
>http://www.teledesic.com/
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----------
>Today's Sponsor:
>
>Internet Boats allows you to buy and sell boats online.
>Millions of dollars worth of boats are available for you to
>browse along with hundreds of "boats wanted" listings, plus
>much more.
>
>http://www.internetboats.com
>
>+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
>
>(C) 1999 Terragon Media.
>To join, quit, or submit a tip suggestion to the Free
>Internet Tips mailing list, please visit our website.
>http://www.freeinternettips.com

----------------------------------


Dayton, OH