British Gas to supply broadband soon?
Are we soon to receive high speed broadband through the natural gas distribution infrastructure?
From Engadget:
Not satisfied with the speed of the broadband access services offered by your cable and telecom providers? Another option may soon be available, according to San Diego-based Nethercomm Corp.: broadband in gas (BiG). We have to admit, when we first heard about this, we thought it sounded like a lot of hot air (sorry), but according to Nethercomm, BiG can offer 10-gigabit broadband using “the private spectrum isolated within natural gas pipelines.” Essentially, what Nethercomm is planning is a broadband system that pumps data from existing local hubs, through gas lines and into homes, where it can be accessed using existing cable modems. While the idea of stringing Ethernet cables from our gas line sounds like something we wouldn’t want to attempt on our own, the concept doesn’t sound all that far-fetched after all. Of course this means that in addition to the endless marketing mailings and calls we already get from the cable and telecom companies, we’ll now have to listen to the gas man’s pitch about broadband when he comes to read the meter.
Sounds crazy? Connecting computers through existing phone lines must have sounded even crazier back then… It does put a whole new slant on the old term "copper dsl"!
posted by Gert @ 6:15 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I think this idea is the smartest thing I've ever seen. Here's why, UWB is for short range but these guys are in a pipe sealed underground so they can blast the transmission way beyond the limits accepted by the FCC. That means that these guys don't need to string transmitters along the pipe but can instead just sit on the ends of the pipe - the DoD can transmit UWB signals over 10 miles. The gas I’m told has no oxygen so heat is the only thin that could ignite it. These guys can pump some serious data and I bet the cable and DSL guys will do anything to stop them. Nethercomm is also now headed by Pat Nunally who was the number two guy at Apple Japan and like 20 other companies.
You're right in saying that natural gas contains almost no oxygen and in its pure form cannot ignite, no matter what you do. Heat won't do the trick either, not without oxygen. Safety isn't really the issue from that point of view.
Thanks for your comment!
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