Broadband

Here at Gizmag we love gadgets that can transform from one thing into another - be it from a chair to a bed or a car to a boat... if it's 2-in-1, it's sure to get our attention. While possibly not on the same level as these examples, Sprint’s new Sierra Wireless AirCard 402 should come in handy for owners of multiple laptops with its ability to connect to mobile broadband via both ExpressCard and PC Card slots thanks to a locking 2-in1 adapter.  Read More

The next generation of Super Broadband DSL is just around the corner. Swedish Telecommunications giant Ericsson has demonstrated 500-Mbits/s transmission rates over copper cabling by using new crosstalk cancellation or "vectorized" VDSL2 based modems. The data rate is over 20 times faster than the fastest ADSL2 services currently on offer in most countries. With products using the technology likely to be available by the end of the year, this will open up the possibility of broadband services such as video-on-demand over IPTV networks.  Read More

When it comes to the Internet there is no such thing as too fast, and while Fiber to the Home (FTTH) technology is becoming more and more popular internationally with stats showing more than 13 million FTTH-connected homes in Japan, six million in the US, a similar number in China and nearly two million FTTH subscribers in Europe, it's only just reaching countries with lower population densities like Australia.  Read More

Australia’s Telstra was tooting its horn last night at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with news its Telstra Next G network was declared the world’s fastest national mobile broadband network by the Guinness World Records with speeds of 21Mbps.  Read More

Google, the PlanetLab consortium and the Open Technology Institute today launched the Measurement Lab (M-Lab), an open platform for Internet measurement tools, along with three tools for users to test their Internet connections - including Glasnost, which tests whether BitTorrent is being blocked or throttled.  Read More

Widespread mobile Internet access is the next step along the road to complete connectivity and Novatel Wireless are hoping their new MiFi product line proves a vital stepping stone in hastening our trip along that path. The palm-sized MiFi enables users to access high-speed Internet from anywhere there is a cellular connection, including moving vehicles where multiple passengers may need Internet access.  Read More

Delta Airlines is set to introduce broadband Wi-Fi access onboard more than 330 aircraft operating in the continental United States. The company's passengers will be able to surf the web at 35,000 feet from next year at a cost of $9.95 on flights lasting up to three hours and $12.95 on longer trips.  Read More

April 7, 2008 Computerworld Malaysia is reporting that Broadband over Powerline (BPL) provider Velchip Sdn Bhd has formalised three major partnerships to advance the world’s biggest BPL project announced earlier this month. The project intends offering 60 million people unlimited high speed Internet connection of 224Mbps (megabits per second) at a cost of only around RM5 (US$1.58) per user per month. It’s the fastest and cheapest internet connectivity in the world.  Read More

February 12, 2008 Sony Ericsson has launched their first HSPA 7.2/2.0 devices with the ExpressCard/34 form factor, the EC400 and EC400g. Both mobile broadband ExpressCards fit a laptop’s ExpressCard slot to give instant wireless Internet access. The EC400 and EC400g incorporate HSPA technology, allowing upload data at rates of up to 2.0 Mb/s and download speeds of up to 7.2 Mb/s. Additionally, the EC400g is equipped with an inbuilt GPS receiver, which automatically shows the user’s current location on Google Maps or similar service or can feed into any other location-based service.  Read More