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New High Speed Wireless Chipset from IBM

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the yes-but-can-it-stop-frequent-disconnects dept.

YesSir writes to tell us IBM scientists are reporting that they have created a new low-cost wireless chipset that could allow devices to communicate up to ten times faster than current technology. From the article: "Using the IBM-pioneered chip-making technology called silicon germanium, the chipset is able to send and receive information in a portion of the radio spectrum that is both unlicensed and can carry a much higher volume of data, a key advantage as data-intensive digital media formats, such as HDTV, become more pervasive."

6 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. How long before the FCC closes "the IBM hole"? by alexwcovington · · Score: 4, Funny

    These guys just don't like free spectrum.

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    1. Re:How long before the FCC closes "the IBM hole"? by Wesley+Felter · · Score: 4, Informative

      60GHz signals are absorbed by oxygen (much like 2.4GHz is absorbed by water), so the FCC figured that frequency must be useless and the public might as well be allowed to play with it.

  2. So basically... by Tuxedo+Jack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    540Mb/s. Wow. Admittedly, this would be excellent for desktop usage in the average organization, but I still can't see wireless being used for servers - gigabit is just too essential to give up, plus there's the issue of setting up the infrastructure to handle 540Mb/s via wireless - I mean, hell, it's hard enough to share 54Mb/s for one access point as is when you've got 10 users on it, but still...

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    Striking fear in the authors of godawful fanfiction, I am here, appearing in darkness, Tuxedo Jack!
  3. Oh crap by dasdrewid · · Score: 4, Funny

    At first, it was just the radio. Nice background noise to do stuff to. Then they made wireless tv sets (like, battery powered...), which was ok. I could take them outside and take a quick break while studying. Then came wireless internet. No longer could I go somewhere and fight the urge to surf simply because I had nothing to surf with, so I began to grow some self-control. But wireless HDTV... Crap. Couldn't they at least wait until I've graduated?

    Maybe they'll at least do something nice, like imbed it in some of those sunglasses with the built-in monitor so I can actually enjoy my lecture classes whilst only giving off the appearance of a hangover (which wouldn't be too far out of the norm...)

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  4. Frequency allocation. by gositz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Only a part of the spectrum mentioned in the article (from 30-300 GHz) is 'unlicensed', and it is all 'allocated' to some use. A very informative chart can be found at: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/osmhome/allochrt.pdf The bottom row shows the allocation of frequency space from 30-300 GHz. Dense to say the least.

  5. O2 absorption by chihowa · · Score: 4, Informative
    Molecular oxygen is paramagnetic. It's explained by the permanent magnetic moment caused by the two unpaired electrons.

    Quoth JH Van Vleck: "Even though electrically non-polar, oxygen gas absorbs microwaves because the magnetic moment of the O2 molecule interacts with electromagnetic fields." The Absorption of Microwaves by Oxygen

    So molecular oxygen is an exception to the generally true assumption that a molecule needs to be polar to absorb EM radiation.

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