dslreports logo
Wi-Fi on the Highway
UK plans for roadside broadband
The UK government has employed Last Mile Communications to deploy some 150,000 wireless broadband transceivers in street lights and stop-lights. The resulting mesh network will be used to monitor roads and alert drivers to road conditions via displays, but the bandwidth may also be leased to ISP's to help provide broadband service to consumers. The system uses microcells, which have a better range with less power drain than mobile phone antennas, using the 63 GHz radio frequency for higher data rates. Brits can apparently remain connected as they drive between pubs. Eweek has additional detail.
view:
topics flat nest 

Lumberjack
Premium Member
join:2003-01-18
Newport News, VA

Lumberjack

Premium Member

Cool...

I do like the idea, it just seems like a natural move.
ParanoiaInc
join:2002-08-28
Tucker, GA

1 recommendation

ParanoiaInc

Member

I suggested this a couple of months ago!

I was sitting at work one evening talking to a friend about how the utility companies go get into the homes (last mile) without actually physically entering the homes. I suggested that they could place access points on the street lights.

I then went further to suggest that BellSouth could alter their IFITL (FTTC) by eliminating the need to role a service technician by placing an access point at the lawn torpedo and not be card-limited.

Leave it to the Brits to do what we do not.
jdir
join:2001-05-04
Santa Clara, CA

jdir

Member

Actually - there was a company that did this -

Late 90s there was a company (METRICOM/Ricochet) that did this - not using 802.11 but their own wireless unit. Can be found in SF Bay area under the light pole. They went bankrupt in 2000 because their service is just too expensive and too slow.
MrkFrnt
join:2000-11-26
Winston Salem, NC

MrkFrnt

Member

you're kidding right?

I can't use my cell phone while driving, but hey I can still use my notebook?

NOVA_Guy
ObamaCare Kills Americans
Premium Member
join:2002-03-05

NOVA_Guy

Premium Member

Wonderful Idea

Well, almost-- as long as there are limits to it.

I've been seeing more "Hang up and drive" bumper stickers and a few billboards around the Northern Virginia area lately. Perhaps it is the start of a push for laws governing talking on cell phones while driving (requiring a headset-- not outlawing talking-- the first is feasible, the second is not). I can understand why; people who talk on cell phones while driving are generally less attentive to traffic situations, drive in the left hand lane, and drive at speed limit or under (the left lane is for those of us who want to drive above speed limit).

Now we have the advent of surfing the net while driving... Something that would require much more attention. I can see some problems with this-- especially with techies like me who would be ever so tempted to keep a laptop open in the front seat with Outlook running to retrieve mail every 2 minutes.

There would be some tremendous uses for this, though. I can see real time traffic and road condition updates (like the state of Maryland has for their major roadways). I can see auto manufacturers building a web browser into their GPS road navigation gizmos and a voice-enabled interface. You could set the whole thing up to retrieve your email, traffic information, news, etc.-- and have it read to you on the way to work in the morning. This would be a service similar to OnStar's Virtual Advisor, only it would be entirely run from the car and be able to display maps, traffic cameras, etc. in real time.

There are a number of potential uses for this deployment. It would be great to have something like this come over to the states-- I'd love to have high speed Internet access everywhere while driving on interstates and other major roadways. It would make more excuses to pull over at rest stops every once in a while.
Hallikainen
join:2003-09-17
San Luis Obispo, CA

Hallikainen

Member

surfing while driving...

Then, of course, there was the driver who was cited for watching porn while driving...

Harold