Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ariane Launches A New Way To Get Online

Posted by timothy on from the please-start-this-one-up-quick dept.

pdaoust007 writes "According to the BBC, 'Europe's Ariane 5 rocket has lifted off after three earlier delays, carrying the world's largest commercial telecoms satellite.' There is also coverage from the CBC and some video here." What's really interesting is what's on board that satellite, though: "Telesat Canada, a subsidiary of BCE, has commercialized the Ka-band technology to allow universal high-speed access to internet service. Apparently, this should make high speed access available anywhere in North America. Gear will be $500 and service $60/month ($CDN)."

10 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. Pah, new fangled stuff. by caluml · · Score: 5, Funny

    I still get my internet access at 1200 baud via Sputnik, tovarishi.

    --
    Get your own free personal location tracker
    1. Re:Pah, new fangled stuff. by kyknos.org · · Score: 2, Funny

      tovarisc, how much time it takes to load the /. homepage?

      --

      SHE does throw dice.
  2. Watch out, speeders! by Chairboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    > the Ka-band technology

    As a side effect, all radar detectors in North America will spontaneously go off and keep doing so until thrown away.

    It's as if millions of speeders suddenly cried out in rage, then were suddenly silenced.

  3. "Universal" by GillBates0 · · Score: 1, Funny
    allow universal high-speed access to internet service. Apparently, this should make high speed access available anywhere in North America.

    Yup, as we all know, US=world and North America equals the Universe.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  4. Oh dear.... by Scrab · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just felt a distubance in the force. Like a million canada jokes, all shouted out loud,and were suddenly silenced...

    --
    RoseColor red={0, 0xffff, 0x0000, 0x0000};VioletColour blue={0, 0x0000, 0x0000, 0xffff};find / -name *mybase*|chown you
  5. Re:Low Cost Data Centre by fcolari · · Score: 2, Funny

    Penguins are in the Southern Hemisphere, out of range I'm afraid. We could import 'em.

    --
    "The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the pieces." --Aldo Leopold (Paraphrased)
  6. Re:Sweet by frank249 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This connection could even provide VoIP, though latency might be noticable (better than no phone though!)

    So the old saying is true: Its better to be latent than never.

    --

    Today's vices may be tomorrow's virtues.

  7. Re:Latency is sure to sux0r by micromoog · · Score: 2, Funny
    There is just no way around that 75,000 km round trip.

    Sure there is . . . we can call it a 45,000 mile round trip. It's sounding better already.

  8. Re:Latency is sure to sux0r by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 2, Funny
    Barring sudden improvements on the speed of light, any geosync satellite is going to suck mud through a straw from a latency perspective. There is just no way around that 75,000 km round trip.


    I can't believe nobody can figure a way around the speed of light limitation. We have some of the brightest minds of all time alive today and we're still limited to 300,000 km/s. On Star Trek they have subspace radio.. why aren't people doing more research into sending signals over subspace like in Star Trek? It's a huge untapped market. Imagine being able to communicate between Earth and Pluto in a millisecond!

  9. Re:boy, are you.... by zogger · · Score: 2, Funny

    answer to #2-too much coffee probably....

    I need to tone it down. Or get a talk radio show, one or the other....

    Good luck with your new place!