的word on just about everyInternetuser's lips these days is "broadband." We have so much more data to send and download today, including audio files, video files and photos, that it's clogging our wimpy modems. Many Internet users are switching tocable modemsanddigital subscriber lines(DSLs) to increase their bandwidth. There's also a new type of service being developed that will take broadband into the air.
At least three companies are planning to provide high-speed wireless Internet connection by placing aircraft in fixed patterns over hundreds of cities.Angel Technologiesis planning an airborne Internet network, calledHigh Altitude Long Operation(HALO), which would use lightweight planes to circle overhead and provide data delivery faster than aT1 linefor businesses. Consumers would get a connection comparable to DSL. Also,AeroVironmenthas teamed up withNASAon a solar-powered, unmanned plane that would work like the HALO network, andSky Station Internationalis planning a similar venture using blimps instead of planes.
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