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First Free Wireless Link Between Europe And Africa

Posted by timothy on from the one-swallow's-flight dept.

Paul Bawon writes "A company called PSAND have just installed a wireless link between Tarifa in Spain and Tangiers in Morocco, thus linking the African and European continents together with a free wireless link. The link went across the Straits of Gibraltar with a total distance of 32 km over the sea. Images can be found here and notes from the work can be found here."

7 of 143 comments (clear)

  1. Cool... by miroth · · Score: 5, Funny

    Images of a wireless connection? I gotta see this.

  2. Cool! Like hams working DX. by the_rajah · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This one is not a distance record, but it did span continents and is an interesting article. Here's an article from last year about longer distances, albeit with higher power gear.

    The ham radio record for 2.4 GHz is a lot longer, but it's a great start. Here are some results from Region 1, Europe, including Earth-Moon-Earth.

    Here's the site for the San Bernadino Microwave Society (Hams). They've been doing this sort of thing for ages.

    "Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain

    --


    "Do the Right Thing. It will gratify some people and astound the rest." - Mark Twain
  3. This is brilliant by CdBee · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Forget all the predictable comments about satellite links being cheaper, the bandwidth being a bit low for a trans-continental link, etc, this proves one thing:

    No matter how repressive a government becomes in its monitoring or control of internet technology, geeks the world over can use this project as a reference work: Don't like your internet strained by official censors? Just beam a link over the border to an open proxy.

    People like us can use this technology to open repressed populations up to communication.

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    I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
    1. Re:This is brilliant by user+no.+590291 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't know that that would be such a good idea. A radiating microwave transceiver with enough power to cross an ocean would be an easy target for a direction finding van, or missile if a repressive government were so inclined.

  4. Re:Nice. by CvD · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is a huge loop of fiber going all the way around Africa that was put there during the dotcom boom by a company called Africa One. Apparently it is mostly dark, because no one can pay to use it:

    See here for a large pic.

    More info:
    Wired News
    Lucent
    Some interview

    So this is interesting for wireless sake, but not interesting for the sake of Internet connectivity in Africa. This fiber loop needs to be put to use to enable cheap Internet in Africa. Many Internet connections are still done by satellite, which is expensive and slow.

    --
    The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage
  5. HAM radio has been doing this for years by scsirob · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Packet Radio has been providing free digital links across the globe for decades. Nothing new about this..

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    To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
  6. A collaborative project by spacepleb · · Score: 4, Informative

    It must be pointed out that the link between Europe and Africa was done as a collaborative project involving many people from Europe and Africa, not just Psand, who merely helped. The project is called Transacciones / Fadaiat 2004, an arts / technolgy / social convention dealing with issues surrounding the Straits of Gibraltar, especially immigration. The link was intended to be a short term link to allow participators from both continents to take part, share ideas and create new allegiances. Please also note that the document which goes with it is rough notes written before attempting the link, and was never meant to be fully accurate.