Communications of the ACM
Boost For Future Broadband Speeds
Building the pieces of future ultra-fast broadband networks is the focus of a new initiative of the U.K. government. Local firms have received approximately 1 million pounds to pursue 13 projects that will help lay the foundation for pushing browsing speeds to between 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps over fiber-optic cables.
"Although you can already get 1 or 10 Gbps you cannot do it at the right cost point," says Mike Biddle, a lead technologist for the Technology Strategy Board. "If you look out to 2020 you start to need about 1 gigabit per second and beyond."
One firm is looking into possible technologies for improving broadband speeds, and developing a roadmap for making changes in Britain's infrastructure. Connecting homes to fiber networks could be easier with so-called passive components. For example, the Hi-performance Optical-Wireless Links project would have a home Wi-Fi access point use a single chip to connect to broadband networks and convert data to wireless for distribution around a home.
From BBC News
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