Intel boosts Wi-Fi range to 60+ miles
updated 01:20 pm EDT, Tue March 18, 2008
60-mile Intel Wi-Fi
Intel says it has devised a new Wi-Fi technology, meant to increase the availability of Internet access worldwide. The Rural Connectivity Platform (RCP) consists mainly of a processor, radios, software and an antenna, and operates on a point-to-point scheme said to deliver up to 6.5Mbps at distances exceeding 60 miles. The hardware has already been installed in places such as India, Panama and Vietnam, and is expected to go on sale in India this year for less than $500 per node.
According to an Intel senior platform manager, Jeff Galinovsky, the problem for many small towns and villages around the world is that traditional Internet access is either costly, or else physically obstructed. Satellite Internet can be inordinately expensive, and many governments and corporations are unwilling to invest in landline infrastructure, due to factors such as terrain, cost-benefit analysis, and/or the threat of piracy. [via Technology Review]
