For anyone who thinks blogs are a load of hot air, the next potential Internet connectivity option could make that a more realistic point of view; natural gas pipes will be the latest way to carry broadband signals.
Broadband over powerlines has terrified the telecoms; now another utility, natural gas providers, could enter the competition for municipal high-speed Internet access. Is this the real deal or serious vaporware? Let us know on WebProWorld.
A realistic prospect or an elaborate hoax? We’ll blame Cnet for floating this story, which may have some basis in reality.
Should Nethercomm be able to pull this off, natural gas customers could receive 100MB connection speeds for Internet access. That’s the speed of a typical corporate Ethernet-based LAN connection.
EN Engineering president Joe Posewick, interviewed in the article, admits skepticism at first, but thinks the technology could be viable. “Of course, we have to see if it really works,” Posewick added. “There’s been no proof of concept yet.”
That concept, called Broadband-in-Gas technologies by Nethercomm, provides “a Terabit wireless link to the last mile of today’s broadband networks.” The technology could supplement initiatives by big telecoms to provide broadband without having to build expensive new fiber optic connections to homes; they could use the existing gas infrastructure instead.
Nethercomm seems to have the leadership in place to make the concept work. Patrick Nually, company founder and CEO, holds over 130 patents in wireless and signal processing, and has been recognized by the IEEE and former President Bill Clinton for his accomplishments.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
