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Unique Broadband Over Powerline Project Planned For Mosques

Lucas123 writes "Broadband over powerline (BPL) provider Velchip is heading up a project that will offer 60 million very unique network users an unlimited high speed Internet connection of 224Mbps at a cost of only around RM5 ($1.58) per user per month. That's the cheapest, fastest internet connection in the world. The network is slated for use in the $14 billion 'Smart Mosque' project, which will be rolled out over three years in Indonesia and will link together 400,000 mosques. To add some perspective, in the US Verizon FiOS currently offers up to 30 Mbps downloads and 5 Mbps uploads starting at $42.99 a month. BPL modems use existing electrical power lines to deliver high speed Internet access and data transmission."

205 comments

  1. Unlimited? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think you'll need Allah's help for that.

    1. Re:Unlimited? by catwh0re · · Score: 5, Insightful
      A fast connection to your ISP, doesn't mean you'll have a fast Internet experience.


      While this will no doubt allow the ISP to deliver cache/proxy data very quickly, it will not be financially viable to provide very fast live-internet down this pipe. E.g anything that can be classified as a web-application will probably still be quite average/slow speeds.

      The price comes about from using an existing infrastructure, as you know the biggest cost in rolling out a network is the transmission medium. (Especially if it's not your expense to maintain it.)

    2. Re:Unlimited? by Kyokushi · · Score: 1

      Not to mention Indonesia only have five servers that handle outgoing international connections IIRC. I might be wrong on this.

    3. Re:Unlimited? by Dan541 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      To be honest it woulden't surprise me if that was a primary intention of this network.

      ~Dan

      --
      An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
    4. Re:Unlimited? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      AH HA,

      from real life terrorisim to cyber Terrorist!

    5. Re:Unlimited? by Stellian · · Score: 3, Funny

      That of course if Allah has nothing against millions of believers downloading porn on bittorrent at super-high speeds.

    6. Re:Unlimited? by 1001011010110101 · · Score: 1

      I was thinking about that...they are going to need some humongous peering points to get that kind of traffic into the rest of the world.

    7. Re:Unlimited? by memorycardfull · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The story says that the connections are expected to to enhance economic growth and internet literacy, which makes sense to me. It makes me uneasy to hear insinuations from presumably intelligent people that a developing and/or Muslim nation has little need for broadband except as a weapon. The story about ambition to use the internet as a weapon is over here: http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/04/02/1734212

    8. Re:Unlimited? by marafa · · Score: 0

      insightful?? thats a troll remark!

      --
      _ In Egypt Networks: Network Solutions with a Twist
    9. Re:Unlimited? by Dan541 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's what happens when morons get mod point!

      I expect this post will also be modded down by a moron mod!

      --
      An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
    10. Re:Unlimited? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, because the terrists are blowing up TEN MALLS per day already, and it is only going to get worse now!! The lieberal media are deliberaltely covering this up to be politically correct!!!

    11. Re:Unlimited? by Phydeaux314 · · Score: 1

      Posting to undo bad moderation. Have a nice day :)

      --
      Never underestimate the stupidity inherent in all human beings.
  2. Whoa there Nelly! by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's the cheapest, fastest internet connection in the world.

    No. It's not the fastet, because it doesn't exist.

    To add some perspective, in the states Verizon FiOS currently offers up to 30 Mbps downloads and 5 Mbps uploads starting at $42.99 a month.

    Yes, they do. Right now. Who knows what Verizon will be offering when (if) these guys get this network going. Awesome. The US still has better internet access than much of the third world.

    --
    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    1. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful
      "We're sorry Verizon doesn't offer FiOS service in your area. However, please take a look at the Verizon services listed below that may be offered where you live."

      Maybe one of these days. Yeah, like when I retire.

    2. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by uffe_nordholm · · Score: 2, Informative

      30Mb/s doesn't sound like much, if you're after the world record... A lady in Karlstad (Sweden) had her son install(*) something a bit faster: 40Gb/s. (article in Swedish: http://www.idg.se/2.1085/1.153268). Although she seems to have used this opportunity to do much more than dry her laundry. * I think the initiative came form the son, not the old lady.

    3. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      The US still has better internet access than much of the third world.

      You must be so proud.

    4. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Niten · · Score: 1

      I agree that we're well behind many parts of the world when it comes to fast Internet access. However, you can't take the single, well-publicized case of the Swedish lady with a 40 Gb/s connection on top of specialized networking gear, and extrapolate that to make any meaningful statements about the overall state of broadband availability in Sweden versus in the United States.

    5. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by strength_of_10_men · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The US still has better internet access than much of the third world. Comparing our internet access to third world countries is pathetic. Why don't we have better internet access than ALL of the third world, if not the best internet access, period?
    6. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Saxmachine · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The US still has better internet access than much of the third world.

      You say that like it's an achievement to be proud of.

    7. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by beh · · Score: 1

      Would you rather hear it from from the Wall Street Journal's principal tech columnist Walt Mossberg? (Listen to the first part of Mossberg's comments on the video: http://www.macrumors.com/2008/04/05/mossberg-3g-iphone-in-60-days/ )

      I also seem to remember something quite a while back here on slashdot about some annual internet usage survey, which also kind of highlighted that the US is leading the pack in technology, but that Europe/Far East are leading in technology adoption.

      Having the 'might' of the US IT industry doesn't necessarily mean that joe bloggs automatically has the highest possible speed/quality internet connectivity there is. You will probably still be able to find very good offerings of this technology in the US - but it might not be quite as widespread as in some other nations.

    8. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by thefoul · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes, they do. Right now. Who knows what Verizon will be offering when (if) these guys get this network going. Awesome. The US still has better internet access than much of the third world. Oh that's reassuring. We're doing better than the third world everybody, cheers! Whatever happened to being a superpower? An economic juggernaut? What a joke we've turned into if the third world starts beating us in internet access.
      --
      The runcible rhythm of ravenous raisins rolled through the rookery rambling and raving.
    9. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by asuffield · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why don't we have better internet access than ALL of the third world, if not the best internet access, period?


      Because bad internet access is more profitable. If everybody had gigabit lines to their homes, it would be very hard to sell "faster" business lines to businesses at an inflated cost. By artificially limiting the low end of the market, they inflate the value of the high end, and hold the whole thing together by passing laws to block any competition. Isn't capitalism grand?
    10. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by PPH · · Score: 1

      Verizon offers FiOS "right now" .... in limited markets.

      FiOS isn't available in my neighborhood (I live within spitting distance of the Microsoft Redmond campus) and probably won't be for a decade. Verizon just finished rebuilding its telephone system due to a road widening project. They replaced 40 year old copper with .... more copper. They are not likely to replace it again until if has depreciated.

      And, to shut down the argument that the US is a different market than other countries due to population density issues, I've had broadband (thanks to the power company) for years at my cabin way out in the sticks. From what I've seen, broadband goes in where the major telcos and cable companies aren't paying attention. Where they are, they hold customers hostage until the local governments kiss their (*) and let them deregulate their systems.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    11. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by potat0man · · Score: 1

      Why don't we have...the best internet access, period?

      Because you and your neighbors will not always be the best at absolutely everything despite your charmed American position.

      It is indeed going to be a long fall from that high horse on which you ride.

    12. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by blind+monkey+3 · · Score: 1

      The US still has better internet access than much of the third world.
      Much of the third world? So... there are third world countries that have better internet access than the US.

      --
      BM3
    13. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, we do. A recent article put us at 24th in broadband
      deployment, just edging out Australia.

      As to Broadband over Powerline, the US has it in several areas.
      In these pilot projects, it isn't as fast as FiOS or Cable,
      and it pollutes the RF spectrum some, but the electric
      utilities do like making money off it.

    14. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by Soporific · · Score: 1

      It is indeed going to be a long fall from that high horse on which you ride.

      You sound like you speak from experience.

      ~S

    15. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by myspace-cn · · Score: 1

      Not only does the US have FiOS now, it doesn't have the destruction of the HAM radio spectrum floor because of BPL noise and interference.

      Given, there have been tests in the US and as the ARRL so correctly points out it screws everything up. "Oh it can be filtered", the corporate fascists argue, yet, go visit ARRL and see what they say.

      One quote from the article, "Just as generations of bankers have known that it's a bad idea to lend money to people who can't pay it back, generations of electrical engineers have known that -- unless you want it to radiate -- it's a bad idea to put radio frequency energy on an unshielded, unbalanced conductor."

      There you have it, our FCC run by fascists instead of engineers.

      (BONUS POINTS: What ever happened to the FCC mission statement?)

    16. Re:Whoa there Nelly! by ZoCool · · Score: 1

      Heh guys. These people are starting from way back in the field. Big hard task. To my mind ANY access via the ubiquitous mosque (perhaps with the last stage being WiFi to the home, or equivalent,) is bloody brilliant! Mosques = tall A Coms tower in every suburb, nay area, nay street. These people really pray, or the few who do, do. Who says 3rd world is worse?

  3. Weird by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Well, this can't work since "Smart Mosque" is essentially an oxymoron. I mean, Islam is the most backwards religion out there (of the big 3/4). This would probably only be used to further spread propaganda or post Bin-Laden tapes to youtube.

  4. Spec needs to be clearer by kg261 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well it's not clear from the article if it's 224Mbps for all 60 million users. Also, the premises could have 224Mbps locally, but the end to end a fraction of that.

    1. Re:Spec needs to be clearer by edwardpickman · · Score: 1
      Well it's not clear from the article if it's 224Mbps for all 60 million users. Also, the premises could have 224Mbps locally, but the end to end a fraction of that.

      224Mps divided by 60 millions users? Aren't we talking telegraph speeds at that bit rate?

    2. Re:Spec needs to be clearer by kg261 · · Score: 1

      The article also mentions satellites. There could be burst downloads at that quoted rate, but each terminal (which will not be 60 million) does not get continuous full bandwidth.

    3. Re:Spec needs to be clearer by Goody · · Score: 1

      Well it's not clear from the article if it's 224Mbps for all 60 million users. Also, the premises could have 224Mbps locally, but the end to end a fraction of that.

      There's no known BPL Internet access network in the world that is delivering 224 Mbs to end users. The few systems in the US are delivering speeds in the 1 to 8 Mbs range.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
  5. Bad Idea by ajs318 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Broadband over power lines is an extraordinarily bad idea.

    It might just about work in a country where there is no radio or TV broadcasting or mobile telephony to interfere with, and no panic about the effects of stray RF waves on the human body.

    --
    Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
    1. Re:Bad Idea by thetartanavenger · · Score: 1

      It might just about work in a country where there is no radio or TV broadcasting or mobile telephony to interfere with, and no panic about the effects of stray RF waves on the human body. I think you may be a little confused. Those are arguments against forms of wireless communication. Broadband over power uses existing power lines that supply the electricity to your establishment, nothing to do with wireless communication whatsoever.

      From what I've read, and I'll grant you it's not that much, BPL is actually quite good and stable. Although I do question the speeds that they're claiming to be able to get. You might be able to get speeds like that in a very local network, and I've even heard of technologies that can provide 1 Gbps over power lines, but the moment you expand it into an ISP situation like they're describing I highly doubt they'll be able to provide that much bandwidth to every user.
      --
      Who need's speling and grammar?
    2. Re:Bad Idea by thetartanavenger · · Score: 1

      From what I've read, and I'll grant you it's not that much Hmmm, it seems maybe I should have done more reading prior to submission. Ignore what I said about it not being a wireless issue..
      --
      Who need's speling and grammar?
    3. Re:Bad Idea by faedle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      BPL typically uses frequencies much lower than where most TV broadcasting takes place, and is WAAAAY below the frequencies used by mobile phones.

      As far as RF exposure goes, these are power lines. The power levels that BPL uses are way below the EMP emissions that are coming off the power lines as the result of.. oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that they are carrying alternating current oscillating at 50 or 60 Hertz?

      Now, there is concern amongst users of HF and low-band VHF. Public safety, amateur, maritime, and some broadcast ('AM' [more accurately called "medium wave"] and short-wave) are all well within the frequency bands used by BPL, and in most of the first world these users are very vocal with their complaints.

    4. Re:Bad Idea by O+Blimey · · Score: 2, Informative

      BPL (Broadband over Power Lines) can actually be a brilliant idea.

      There are 2 different concepts:
      1) Using high voltage long distance lines
      2) Using household voltage lines and distances

      The first approach has been pretty much abandoned. The second is very much alive and competing fiercely with Wi-Fi.
      There are 2 competing camps, one being HomePlug and the other using chips from a Spanish company, ES2.
      I have conducted trials with HomePlug AV in a marina. The claim is 200Mbps but you won't even get this when you plug 2 of those adapters side by side on an extension cord.
      A more realistic assumption is around 50 Mbps. I have actally tested this in a marina over a distance of 120 meters and measured 58 Mbps rock solid stable.
      So far I've bought about 40 units.

    5. Re:Bad Idea by ajs318 · · Score: 1

      The whole point is that you can't modulate a carrier wave with a frequency greater than half the carrier frequency. And power lines are carrying 50Hz. So the most you could modulate onto a power line would be 25Hz. And since you need two full cycles to transmit a single bit, your maximum bit rate using the 50Hz mains as a carrier would be 12.5 bits per second -- or one megabit per day.

      To get more bandwidth, you have to modulate a high-frequency carrier onto the power line first. This gets over the problem that the impedance of all the electricity company's generators in parallel is low enough to annihilate any signal you tried to modulate onto the line; a generator is inductive, so its impedance rises with frequency. But without a properly-matched impedance on the far end, the power lines will act as transmitting antennas. They may not be terribly efficient; but the unwanted RF emissions will be everywhere the power lines run.

      --
      Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
    6. Re:Bad Idea by ajs318 · · Score: 1

      The second idea (using existing mains wiring in a building to support a network) works well in countries where biphase power is delivered from an individual transformer outside each dwelling, because the transformer blocks the high-frequency carrier used by the ethernet-over-power system.

      In countries where triphase power is delivered to each group of three dwellings from a big transformer at the end of the street (so each individual house is on single-phase power) it works reasonably well. The combined inductance of the electricity meter and the length of cable between other houses on the same phase (3 doors in each direction) is weakening the signal just enough to prevent interference. (Also, the chances are good that people in different buildings will have different IP ranges -- it might be fun to try #ping -b 255.255.255.255 sometime, though.)

      In countries where triphase power is delivered to each dwelling from a big transformer at the end of the street, and each house is on three-phase power, it may not work at all: adjacent rooms may well be on different phases.

      --
      Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
    7. Re:Bad Idea by petermgreen · · Score: 1

      note: in this post bandwidth will be used in it's traditional radio sense not it's recent computer industry sense.

      And since you need two full cycles to transmit a single bit
      Maybe if you use a really old fasioned modulation scheme with a single carrier etc.

      According to nyquist you can in theory get two symbols per Hz of bandwidth. In practice you can't get quite this good but techniques like QAM combined with OFDM (as used in digital TV) can get pretty close.

      The number of bits you can get per symbol depends on the signal to noise ratio of the line probablly between about 3 and 7 for most practical channels.

      but while your figures are off the principle is right higher data rates require higher bandwidths. If you want a gigabit per second of data rate you are going to need frequencies in the hundreds of megahertz. Plenty high enough to screw with TV and FM radio systems.

      Even if you only want data rates in the megabits per second you will still have frequencies high enough to screw with some radio users.

      --
      note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
    8. Re:Bad Idea by faedle · · Score: 1

      QAM 1024 gives 50 Mb/s on a 6 Mhz channel. It would only take 35MHz will give you the bandwidth they're talking about.. and that's totally within the range typically used for BPL.

    9. Re:Bad Idea by faedle · · Score: 1

      Right.

      So you use five 6 MHz QAM1024 signals (each one carrying 50 Mb/s) with a center of 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 MHz. That still keeps you completely contained within HF, which was my point.

      I don't know of anywhere in the world where television and cellular phones live below the VHF boundary.

      On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be trying to work 40 meters anywhere near this hypothetical system.

  6. best counter-terrorism idea ive seen so far.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Bundle a service that every Muslim/Mosque will use, with a high risk terrorism threat such as the power grid, Powergrid = safe then :) We should do that here, and we should all become a part of the global sharia-net.... All images have been disabled by default as its against the law to publish images of humans or Muhammad.... Text based internet... maybe someone will post Muhammad ascii pron to the site so i guess we cant have text or images on any sharia-net websites.... damn

    1. Re:best counter-terrorism idea ive seen so far.... by jared.adam.young · · Score: 1

      what I always liked about patrols in Iraq, here and there those retarded IED inplacers would blow up the power lines.. This was like a over and over and over event.. and everytime ten - twenty minutes later there would be the neighborhood power guy on his metal ladder up there literally stiching the lines back together with his bare hands.. Conspiracy... I think not.

  7. Could someone enlighten me? by Paktu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why would you need high speed internet at a mosque of all places? Who goes to a church, synagogue, temple, Scientology brainwashing center, etc. to access the Web?

    1. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by HateBreeder · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Well, they need to post those Bin-Laden tapes to youtube somewhere...

      --
      Sigs are for the weak.
    2. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Informative

      Probably because the Mosque doubles as Town Hall and general purpose public building in many parts of Indonesia. I think this is a great way to enlighten people and broaden their experience of the world.

    3. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by monkaru · · Score: 4, Insightful

      In much of the world mosques, Buddhist temples and\or Catholic churches are the only places the locals can get a proper education. Ultra high speed internet could be extremely useful to them when divvied up among thousands of students and religious scholars.

    4. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by Kyokushi · · Score: 1

      They are-but only for the low and middle class islamic people. Anyone who's quite well off usually hold their events somewhere else.
      Also, they go to mosque to socialize--not browse internet. I doubt even 5% of mosques have an internet connection here.
      Not to mention most people don't have laptops, and those who do usually have their own broadband connection.
      There's nothing preventing them to play games and browse porn on them either-- it's much, much cheaper than netcafes here, which usualy cost abut Rp3000-4000/hour (US$ 0.30-0.40)

    5. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by sleeponthemic · · Score: 1

      I think this is a great way to enlighten people and broaden their experience of the world.
       
        Yeah, but isn't it just cheaper to skip immediately to the anal?
      --
      I record my sleeptalking
    6. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 1

      I'll be very curious about coupling the "Mesh" capability of the OLPC laptops to it. It could leapfrog a generation of poorer children to the 21st century of content and network access, all on Linux.

    7. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by Dan541 · · Score: 1

      I think this is a great way to enlighten people and broaden their experience of the world. The Same world they try to censor?

      --
      An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
    8. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by whiskey6 · · Score: 1

      Yes, much like the mall is to us. Not all of Indonesia is Islamic, Bali is mostly Hindu, Flores mostly Christian and parts of Lombok are Sasak, Balinese Hindu and Islam. But Indo is the most populous Islamic nation in the world.

    9. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by mstrong73 · · Score: 1

      Mosques, like many churches or other religious facilities are often a community gathering place. There is much more that goes on than just attending prayer sessions.

      --
      the world is my oyster, pass the hot sauce.
    10. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by antibryce · · Score: 1

      exactly! Now they can ban YouTube at blazing broadband speeds!

    11. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by thefoul · · Score: 1, Troll

      I think this is a great way to enlighten people and broaden their experience of the world. Wake up buddy, since when is any religion interested in it's people being enlightened in any other way than the one the leaders are instructing?! That's not enlightenment, it's indoctrination. Religious groups don't want your mind broadened, at best they want you to travel around and see the world to do allah/god/etc's work in brainwashing new converts. People that truly think for themselves and see the world as it is quickly lose those silly ideas.
      --
      The runcible rhythm of ravenous raisins rolled through the rookery rambling and raving.
    12. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by sean4u · · Score: 1

      It's Malaysia. The population is racially profiled by the government. The government is Malay, other races are welcome in Malaysia, as long as they "don't cause trouble, la". They got a nasty surprise in the recent elections and almost lost their 50-year majority. Malay=muslim, by government decree: you are free to worship any government-approved religion, as long as you're not Malay, in which case, you don't have a choice. Traditional media in Malaysia is government controlled. Government propaganda = licence. Criticism = no licence.

      They blamed Internet-savvy opposition politicians for the recent election results. 60% of the Malaysian population goes to mosques, by government decree. That's a great reason to have high-definition, streaming government media, right there.

    13. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by raju1kabir · · Score: 1

      60% of the Malaysian population goes to mosques, by government decree.

      I can see several of these mosques from my balcony. If 60% of the population is going there, then the total population of Malaysia is about 12.

      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
    14. Re:Could someone enlighten me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will be used by religious-political activists. If there is one thing about Islam in its current state is its drive to spread and attain more political influence. Every Friday Mosques are used everywhere for political speeches. I live near a Mosques in Beirut - Lebanon and they keep advocating violence against all who dare to challenge, doubt or ridicule Islam.

  8. Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where is the whatcouldpossiblygowrong tag?

    1. Re:Right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The contractors seem to be getting a better deal than the mosque visitor:

      Thirdly, a 100-year agreement was exchanged with Nadhlatul Ulama Indonesia and Manhad Islam Hadhari, the Indonesian clients responsible for the network of mosques that will be converted during the BPL project.

      A 100-year maintenance contract for an Internet connection project? I cannot imagine a 224mbps shared network being very conducive in 2108.

  9. BPL also trashes the airwaves by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

    Of course who cares about radio - thats so yesterday.

    1. Re:BPL also trashes the airwaves by trash+eighty · · Score: 2, Funny

      I've heard Indonesian radio, its probably a blessing

    2. Re:BPL also trashes the airwaves by Ellis+D.+Tripp · · Score: 1

      The problem is that the interference will not only cause local problems. The frequencies used for BPL include what is commonly called the "HF" spectrum, which has the unique property of WORLDWIDE PROPAGATION via reflection off the ionosphere. Ham radio operators have successfully communicated around the planet on these frequencies using a few watts or even MILLIwatts of power.

      It is quite possible for a BPL system in Indonesia to wipe out HF communications on the other side of the world, given proper ionospheric conditions.

      --
      Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
    3. Re:BPL also trashes the airwaves by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ham radio operators aren't the only ones using those frequencies. The U.S. military uses them too, as do many of the other branches.

      Initially, the U.S. military were very against BPL, but they then, "changed their minds," about the same time as some politicians started pushing the military to drop their objection. Just by coincidence, of course.

  10. Re:Indonesia? by Kyokushi · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The contractors are Malaysian--but yes, I hardly believe this will go on. Power lines in Indonesia are horrible, usually they black out whenever there's heavy storm for some reason. Nevermind that some people STEAL power lines and cables for money (how do they do that I have no frickin clue). Add the incompetency of bureucrats, and there you go. I don't know how does islamic organizations respond to this, and most importantly, who is going to pay for all of this. We got a huge national debt already, and not much people have a laptop--and those who do certainly don't bring them to mosques, where footwear got lost all the time.

  11. It'll never happen by carvell · · Score: 1

    I'd be /really/ surprised if this gets the go-ahead in any developed country. The RF emissions from unshielded cable with 224mbps of square waves travelling down them, all over a country, would be incredible. It'll never pass Ofcom (UK) or FCC (US?) tests. Someone's going to mention those home broadband things you can get that send stuff down the power cables at home, which haven't been outlawed, but I don't think it'll be long before they are.

    1. Re:It'll never happen by HateBreeder · · Score: 4, Informative

      You might be surprised to learn that "square waves" aren't traveling as is on the lines... they are being modulated in a way that makes them less susceptible to noise, and span across a limited bandwidth... this has the side effect of making them look more like a finite combination of sine waves. Besides, copper telephone lines used for ADSL aren't shielded either.

      --
      Sigs are for the weak.
    2. Re:It'll never happen by obscured_dude · · Score: 1

      Your forgetting... this is Indonesia we are talking about... not the USA... not Australia even, if they want to pump 10kw of RF out of their power lines im pretty sure the Indonesian govt is the only people who are going to care. And we all know how much they care....

    3. Re:It'll never happen by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      It occurred to me that if you ran fibre cable to your mosque there is a chance of it being ripped off and sold. Power cable can be stolen as well but you risk being electrocuted in the process.

    4. Re:It'll never happen by Goody · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Besides, copper telephone lines used for ADSL aren't shielded either.

      Twisted pair copper is self-shielding; it's one of the reasons why we use it today in telephony instead of the old open straight wire.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    5. Re:It'll never happen by johnrpenner · · Score: 1

      interesting; mod parent up.

    6. Re:It'll never happen by budgenator · · Score: 1

      The signals travel over a pair of wires in opposing directions in a push-pull fashion, this is done so that any radiation from one wire is predominately canceled by the opposite radiation from the other wire. Additional the radiation from one wire induces a current in the other wire that reinforces the desired current in that wire. Once upon a time 300 ohm open, unshielded twin-lead wire was standard lead in wire for delivering television signals ranging from 54-655MHz, from the antenna to the receiver in the home.

      --
      Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
    7. Re:It'll never happen by asuffield · · Score: 1

      You mean "balanced line", not "self-shielding", and that only works when the devices are actually sending balanced signals. We use cat5 in telephone systems today because it's the cheapest thing on the market with a high enough grade of copper in it (thanks to the high demand for network cabling having drastically increased the production), not because it's twisted pair.

      Telephone signals are almost balanced, but the electronics are kinda funky, so they actually give off large amounts of interference. This causes a major crosstalk problem on DSL lines at the exchange, which is why ADSL is more common: the interference limits the bandwidth of the weaker signal (upstream, because it's furthest from its transmitter) far more than that of the stronger signal.

    8. Re:It'll never happen by Doppler00 · · Score: 1

      Twisted pair isn't self shielding. If you have interference it still travels down both wires. What happens is at the receiver, you can cancel out the interference because the pairs are opposite voltages of eachother. Problem is, you can only cancel out so much interference and in very noisy electrical environments shielding is still a must.

      We use twisted pair cables without shield because it's the cheapest. Not necessarily because it's the best at minimizing noise.

    9. Re:It'll never happen by Goody · · Score: 1

      No, I do mean self-shielding; the fact that it is fed balanced is a given. While balanced twisted pair doesn't have the same isolation as coaxial cable, there is somewhat of a shielding effect and it's much better for broadband data transmission than open wire that is spaced several wavelengths apart like BPL running on power lines.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    10. Re:It'll never happen by asuffield · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, I do mean self-shielding; the fact that it is fed balanced is a given.


      Okay, then you're just wrong. Telephone lines are neither; their loop system is almost like a balanced signal, but not close enough to actually prevent interference, and they broadcast a very strong electromagnetic signal that you can pick up with sensitive radio equipment from a few tens of meters away (or with a couple of transistors and a 1.5v cell at a distance of a few cm). Whether or not the cable is twisted has no impact on this. Interference is a very real problem with telephone lines, and the only reason it doesn't affect radios is because it doesn't use those frequencies.
    11. Re:It'll never happen by LM741N · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Your remarks about limited bandwidth are patently false. See the American Radio Relay League www.arrl.org and its discussion on BPL, and on their Federal Lawsuit against the FCC for promoting the wide bandwidth BPL. There are systems that have been developed, for example, at Motorola, that reduce interference in the 1Mhz to 30Mhz range, but no one seems to want to use them or care, despite violating FCC regulations that say that unlicensed devices cannot interfere with properly licensed ham radio and public service communication stations.

    12. Re:It'll never happen by LM741N · · Score: 1

      Your remarks about limited bandwidth are patently false. See the American Radio Relay League http://www.arrl.org/ and its discussion on BPL, and on their Federal Lawsuit against the FCC for promoting the wide bandwidth BPL. There are systems that have been developed, for example, at Motorola, that reduce interference in the 1Mhz to 30Mhz range, but no one seems to want to use them or care, despite violating FCC regulations that say that unlicensed devices cannot interfere with properly licensed ham radio and public service communication stations.

    13. Re:It'll never happen by HateBreeder · · Score: 1

      I was using Limited bandwidth, in the sense of finite bandwidth. That mean, not unbound (with a limit).

      To ideally represent a square wave, one requires an infinite portion of the spectrum. (Ever seen a sinc function?) - that is impossible with current technology. therefore, we modulate signals, such as square waves and transform them to a finite bandwidth approximate representation.

      --
      Sigs are for the weak.
    14. Re:It'll never happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      BS. Twisted pair is not self-shielding, and the signal is a complete nightmare on the other end from interference, It just so happens that the twist keeps the radiated energy down to something manageable, and almost all the interference is common mode, and can be removed using a transformer or a differential amplifier. Without that, however, the 60hz on a regular analog line would be so bad you could hear it in the next room.

            BTW - I have a linesman's handset I earned the hard way.

    15. Re:It'll never happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >a limited bandwidth... this has the side effect of making them look more like a finite combination of sine waves
      Phew! You had me worried for a minute there. First it's those darn Swiss making planet-destroying black holes, and now we have to worry about infinite bandwidth! You could spend literally all day counting an infinite combination of sine waves!

    16. Re:It'll never happen by Goody · · Score: 1

      Then why do they bother with the added cost and effort to twist the pair if it has no beneficial effect?

      Although Wikipedia isn't the end-all-be-all of knowledge and information, read the article on twisted pair: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_pair . Someone else apparently says the twisting tends to reduce interference.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    17. Re:It'll never happen by Goody · · Score: 1

      The signal is a complete nightmare from a common mode standpoint, but not differential, hence the reason for running differential mode in the first place. If you want to split hairs, twisted pair is not technically shielded cable, but it does exhibit better isolation characteristics than straight parallel wires, and is better than power lines for high frequency transmission....my original point.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    18. Re:It'll never happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It occurred to me that if you ran fibre cable to your mosque there is a chance of it being ripped off and sold.

      'Ripped off' fibre cable would have no real value at all. Can't melt it down for useful scrap, can't really reuse it (it pretty much has to be cut to the correct length and in new condition). Only cable with metal in it is any use, particularly copper.
      I suppose you might steal it if you were desperate for some washing-line, but it would probably be a lot easier to steal some rope or string.

    19. Re:It'll never happen by lucifuge31337 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think you're confused about what direction the interference is prevented in. It tends to allow the cable to be shielded, protecting the signal on the cable itself, not to shield the cable from leaking/emitting signal. And it really doesn't work all that well. If you've ever used a fox and hound on a bundle of cables to figure out which is which, you'll notice that it bleeds over to other cables pretty badly, and bleeds to other pairs in the same cable horribly.

      --
      Do not fold, spindle or mutilate.
    20. Re:It'll never happen by asuffield · · Score: 1

      Then why do they bother with the added cost and effort to twist the pair if it has no beneficial effect?


      Because as I said earlier, it's actually cheaper, not more expensive - using the same cable as ethernet costs far less than using anything else at a similar grade of copper, thanks to the usual economy of scale effect and the immense amount of ethernet cabling in the world.

      The wikipedia article could be clearer: what they're trying to say is that when using balanced or differential signalling, twisted pair is essential to prevent interference from screwing up the signal anyway. For other kinds of signals, the effect is not really significant (it makes the cable act like a whip antenna rather than a loop, which is slightly less efficient at broadcasting and receiving).

      If the telecomms wanted to pick a cable that cost a little more and suppressed interference, they'd use shielded cat5.
  12. Why? by LingNoi · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Why would a mosque need internet access? Isn't it suppose to be a place of worship, not an internet cafe?

    1. Re:Why? by jamesh · · Score: 2, Funny

      Why would a mosque need internet access? Isn't it suppose to be a place of worship, not an internet cafe?

      People should be free to worship their deity of choice in their own way. If they want to do so sitting in front of a computer screen looking at pictures of naked women then who are you to judge them?
    2. Re:Why? by freedom_india · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Yeah. And Mosque??? of all places?
      Aren't these the same guys who blow up Telecom towers in Afghanistan as symbols of western decadence.
      I bet the broadband line will live for 500 milliseconds before it is burnt down along with its equipment.

      --
      "Doing what i can, with what i have." ~ Burt Gummer
    3. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People should be free to worship their deity of choice in their own way. If they want to do so sitting in front of a computer screen looking at pictures of naked women then who are you to judge them?

      This is in Islamic places of worship, mind you. Both of your statements above are extremely incompatible with Islam and are actually pretty strong arguments against broadband in mosques.

    4. Re:Why? by notabaggins · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why would a mosque need internet access? Isn't it suppose to be a place of worship, not an internet cafe? In poor areas, the church or mosque or what have you is often also the center of community life. They don't have all the options available to urban first worlders. You still often see this even in the US today in small, rural areas. It was even more common in our agrarian past when Sunday was your only day off and the one big chance to go into town just to socialize.

      I suspect this is why mosques hold such sway in their communities. Far as a community "center", there isn't anything but the mosque. Your only social and community life revolves around that institution.
    5. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That Madrassas might become hubs of learning & information is nothing new. This is exactly what they were for centuries before the fall in the 17th century.

      Example one: The ancient city of Fez http://tinyurl.com/owhz7

      Example two: the great libary of timbuctu. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu

      Example three: The Mesquite, centre of the world for culture around the 10th century http://harveybeitchman.com/Images%20of%20Spain/slides/Cordoba%20Mesquite%20Interior%20No-0397.html

      It 'might' lead to a memetic of striving to understand the mind of God via Science. That can work.
      Last, it would be cool if those gold domes could be used as wifi transmitters :-)

    6. Re:Why? by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

      I'm going to start my own religion! With the internet! And hookers! In fact, forget the hookers.

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  13. web speed overpay? by locksmith101 · · Score: 1, Funny

    how come we have to pay so much more for something that's not even close to what Indonesia (hello? Indonesia - with it's 13,000 islands! has way better speed?) is about to launch? i'm getting real tired of all those cynical capitalists...i'm moving to Indonesia!

    1. Re:web speed overpay? by Kyokushi · · Score: 1

      Parent is right in a way. Corporations don't have much power in indonesia since people would rather save their money than buy unnecesary / expensive products & services. There's almost no lock-ins either.

  14. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could be worse, could be the Talmud.

  15. I think you verizon fios numbers aren't correct by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I currently have 15Mbps down AND up via FIOS. There are places that support 50Mbps down.

    It doesn't change the gist of your story, but you should have the facts correct.

  16. bpl is a hoax by eggled · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Any power engineer worth his salt knows the power lines can be modeled as an RLC network... creating losses. These have been optimized for low frequencies (50-60 Hz). Once you get above 1 kHz, your signal won't propogate more than 500 feet. 1MHz and you're lucky to get 50 feet. BPL doesn't actually use the copper line as a waveguide, but creates a rude radio transmitter in the GHz range, which can cause all kinds of trouble. The reason they're trying this abroad is that it's already been rejected outright in the US.

    1. Re:bpl is a hoax by Futile+Rhetoric · · Score: 1

      Didn't Enron try this, and lose a whole lot of money on it?

    2. Re:bpl is a hoax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not quite true. Utilities use higher frequency signals (around 1kHz from memory) for load shedding and other signalling with ranges over tens of km.

    3. Re:bpl is a hoax by Goody · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What you're talking about is PLC which is the low frequency predecessor to BPL that is used for grid control functions. I think PLC goes up to about 500 khz. That technology is proven, works fairly well and doesn't interfere with radio spectrum. Many companies are using it for automatic meter reading systems (AMR), a market that BPL has been wanting to break into, though I believe hasn't due to overall costs. The original poster is essentially correct about the properties of powerlines not being suited for broadband. BPL uses radio frequencies from 1.8 Mhz to about 88 Mhz, depending on the system and capacity. These frequencies are severely attenuated on the lines and the lines act like a natural antenna, radiating them into the adjacent area. BPL signals have been detected up to a mile or two away from the lines and NTIA modeling showed that aircraft frequencies would probably be affected about 20 miles away. The FCC implemented mandatory frequency notching to protect aircraft frequencies and vendors have also designed optional frequency notching to protect other frequency bands when the carrier deems it necessary. From a market standpoint, BPL is at a severe disadvantage because the underlying technology just can't scale due to its many technical issues. After over ten years of development abroad and five years of a well-funded marketing and FCC-lobbying effort, there are only a handful of commercial BPL systems in the US and FCC reports show customer numbers below 10,000. BPL is included in the FCC's "Other" category, which should tell something about how insignificant it is. However, I think you'll see some traction in dirt poor countries where any bandwidth and any quality of service is acceptable and the wireless spectrum issues are ignored.

      --
      Tired of being "punished" by the Slashdot $rtbl since 2002. I'm now over at http://soylentnews.org/ .
    4. Re:bpl is a hoax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But then again, maybe there is a hidden agenda of blacking-out foreign shortwave broadcast in these countries. Some groups seem to just not be able to handle other viewpoints and would just love to remove access to them from their subjects altogether. Nobody is going to hear jack on their shortwave radio in these BPL-inundated towns. The Peoples' Republic of China spends a great deal of effort jamming shortwave stations they disagree with, so that people in China won't be able to hear these broadcasts. BPL does this and the subjects will even willingly flip the bill for it.

    5. Re:bpl is a hoax by Kyokushi · · Score: 1

      Blocking out shortwaves would require close proximity, and then youll have to deploy it in the forests instead. We're surrounded by sea.

    6. Re:bpl is a hoax by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, blocking shortwave would require close proximity. Its fairly difficult to get more than a couple dozen meters away from powerlines in a city.

    7. Re:bpl is a hoax by DirePickle · · Score: 1

      BPL was available right here in Cincinnati for years, though it looks like you can't get it anymore. Everyone I knew that had it loved it. There were no complaints of interference. The only reason it died off, as far as I can tell, is that it just wasn't profitable when it needed to compete with DSL and cable. It was only 1mbps, symmetric, though, so I am surprised they expect to be able to pump so much bandwidth through this one.

    8. Re:bpl is a hoax by Thelasko · · Score: 1

      BPL doesn't actually use the copper line as a waveguide, but creates a rude radio transmitter in the GHz range, which can cause all kinds of trouble. That reminds me of a project I read about in Nuts and Volts back in my high school electronics class. It was a high pass filter for using telephone or power lines as an antenna. It makes me wonder if the same technology could be used for a wi-fi antenna. I'm not a EE but I imagine if it was possible it would be done already.
      --
      One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
    9. Re:bpl is a hoax by eggled · · Score: 1

      Sure it can be done... but a tuned antenna is much more effective (greater range, etc). One of the reasons they wanted to use the copper to transmit the signals, instead of the airwaves, is that they wouldn't have to pay for licensing of a spectrum. As it is, though, they're using the powerlines as an antenna, just as you suggest, but not very effectively.

  17. Ok so the worth of freedom to slashdot users by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Is less than 200 mbit. Separation of religion and state is probably worth even less.

    Great to know.

    1. Re:Ok so the worth of freedom to slashdot users by WK2 · · Score: 1

      A lot of us live in the USA. At least if we go to Indonesia we can get broadband.

      --
      Write your own Choose Your Own Adventure. http://www.freegameengines.org/gamebook-engine/
    2. Re:Ok so the worth of freedom to slashdot users by Kyokushi · · Score: 2, Informative

      Save one province, Indonesia does not run on Islamic laws.

  18. The news headline and article are bullshit. by aliquis · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why do they cound 400.000 mosques as 60 million users? If I have 10 people in my appartment do my Internet connection become much cheaper then? To me the price seems to be 1500 times more than what they say for each 224 mbps connection, which are 2370 $. Sure the dollar are falling but it's still expensive as hell, and it's neither of cheapest or fastest there is.

    Just marketing bullshit.

    Who cares if there are 1500 possible mosques visitors in each mosque?

    1. Re:The news headline and article are bullshit. by 1001011010110101 · · Score: 1

      Dude, its broadband via power lines, they are not counting the people that visits the mosque, They run some kind of server there that "powers" the rest of the people living around it or something.

    2. Re:The news headline and article are bullshit. by aliquis · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If that's the case when cool, except whenever some religous moron decide that whatever religion they have are wrong their Internet connection will be screwed. Connection reset by Jesus?

      Thanks for the information.

  19. why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    internet in mosques? why are they doing this? i have never felt the need to surf internet in a mosque. i do my prayers and come out.
    but if the mosque has a study center or something attached to it, you could have internet access there.

  20. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 1

    Yeah, because something written in ancient babylon is still followed to the letter in modern times...

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
  21. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    During the prophets time the laws were different and our standards of today do not apply to the standards of then. I only wish i could have lived during a time when i could have 12 wives under 15 years old. They would all belong to me and i could do as i please. Praise be! Praise be!

  22. Note for the Slashdot Grammar Council by lancejjj · · Score: 2, Insightful

    60 million very unique network users I can make the argument that a particular network design is "very" unique, suggesting that the design has "many distinctive attributes". Many grammar weenies would vehemently disagree with me.

    But I have a tough time understanding that there could be 60 million "very" unique network users. I'd suppose that they'd just be unique.
    1. Re:Note for the Slashdot Grammar Council by value_added · · Score: 1

      Many grammar weenies would vehemently disagree with me.

      Not with your argument, but we would have trouble making sense of why you think being redundant has any value, and then overlook the possibility that the intended rhetorical effect may be the opposite of what you hoped.

      Put simply, if something is "unique", then say so. If you're looking to describe other qualities, reach for a thesaurus. There's no need to dumb down the language for everyone when there's lots of good words you can use.

      --
      Grammar Weenie

    2. Re:Note for the Slashdot Grammar Council by mollymoo · · Score: 1

      ITYM "semantics weenies". HTH, HAND -- Semantics Weenie 71462

      --
      Chernobyl 'not a wildlife haven' - BBC News
    3. Re:Note for the Slashdot Grammar Council by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The network design is not unique and is NOT the first time it has been implemented.

      http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/computer-networking-broadband/484258-1.html

      A summary of the linked article: Two small rural communities in Scotland receiving broadband through there power lines since 2003 (5 years ago) from "Scottish Hydro Electric"

      I also found a similar article on the BBC News website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2754203.stm

  23. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    crimes... the only crimes here are your take it in the ass horse fucker raping tatics.

  24. BPL is deploying in the U.S. by colfer · · Score: 3, Informative

    I live in the deplyment area in Virginia. Here is the U.S. map: http://www.bpl.coop/deploymentmap.php It is funded partly by the old Rural Electrificatio Agency of the 1930's! Its successor agency actually, in the Ag Dept. The problem of interfering with radio, especially ham readio, was supposedly fixed by "notching of" certain frequencies.

    But... deployment here is three years behind schedule. Customers of two substations have it, but I don't know how well it is working. The company claims some equipment problem.
    Rural users are really looking forward to this, if it works, or any alternative to satellite. The electrical co-op (non-profit utility, like a credit union compared to a bank, established in the 1930's) said the price would be $25/month. Satellite is $40 with terrible contracts and equipment costs. Not to mention gamers cannot live with the 0.7+ second lag.

    There is no alternative in rural areas, where our cell service is marginal. Dialup with images off has been fun! More important than images off is selectively blocking Flash.

    Deployment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_line_communication#Deployments But see the next section, "Concluded Deployments" with a long list of place where BPL has been dismantled.

    As for the tech. aspects, note you can run internet over a fence wire. :) I'll try to find the link.

    1. Re:BPL is deploying in the U.S. by colfer · · Score: 1

      Internet over barbed wire: http://slashdot.org/articles/02/01/03/2039218.shtml

      Correction, the price here for BPL is $30/month.

    2. Re:BPL is deploying in the U.S. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like you live in Nelson County! Welcome to third-world America!

      I spoke with someone from CVEC a week or so ago and asked about the BPL status. His opinion was that it worked great for short distances but they were having problems extending it much more than a few miles. He didn't think it would ever be deployed across the area.

      I doubt this BPL deployment in Indonesia will ever get off the ground either.

      Nelson County is looking into a fiber deployment http://www.nelsoncountytimes.com/nco/news/local/article/traveling_the_county_looking_for_broadband_home_02_28_08_nco/2847/ but it is targeted mainly to areas with schools and businesses, so us really rural folks in Nelson will still be out of luck.

    3. Re:BPL is deploying in the U.S. by Chandon+Seldon · · Score: 1

      There is no alternative in rural areas, where our cell service is marginal.

      There's a perfectly good alternative: run fiber. I'm sure you already have phone lines - decent network infrastructure is the 21st century version of that. And no, it's not "impossible" or "too expensive" - it's "doing it right". Being in a rural area with a electricity co-op should just make this easier. It makes no sense to screw around with crap technologies like BPL.

      --
      -- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.
  25. I wonder... by BountyX · · Score: 1

    I think the government could have just as easily chosen a library...they chose the Masque in order to strategically bring the public regularly into Masques. I suspect Indonesia (the people) might be practicing Islam with a "hands-off" approach and the government agenda is to "realign" the publics faith in favor of a more "hands-on" approach. The hands-off approach I'm talking about is similar to how Islam is practiced in a country like Turkey. Considering that the Turkish people interpret Ramadan "fasting" simply as not getting drunk for a while and cutting back on the smokes. Not to mention Turkey's unique Islamic practice of Topless nude beaches and the general public's CULT worship of metallica; It dosn't stop there...laws against wearing islamic clothing in public buildings to the point of such devotion that the Turkish public is currently impeaching their president for allowing headscarves in Turkish Universities. I think Indonesia is headed towards Turkish Islam and the government isn't ready for that kind of "hands off". Somtimes I wonder if Turkish people generally regard themselves as Islam as more of a "suicide bombing public insurance program".

    --
    Trying to install linux on my microwave, but keep getting a kernel panic...
    1. Re:I wonder... by raju1kabir · · Score: 2, Funny

      I think the government could have just as easily chosen a library...

      Oh yes, one of the many wonderful public libraries that dot the villages and towns of Indonesia.

      Somtimes I wonder if Turkish people generally regard themselves as Islam as more of a "suicide bombing public insurance program".

      They better invent secular kurdism as well then.

      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
    2. Re:I wonder... by Mr.+Roadkill · · Score: 1

      Considering that the Turkish people interpret Ramadan "fasting" simply as not getting drunk for a while and cutting back on the smokes
      Irish Catholicism on line 2, it says it want something called "Lent" back.
  26. Excuse me... Excuse me... by denzacar · · Score: 2, Funny

    I just wanted to ask a question. What does God need with a internet connection?

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  27. Speedy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Since this will be installed in mosques, I assume the primary function of these internet connections will be super-fast porn downloads.

  28. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Terrorists dont need the internet.

  29. This is typical of what others are doing by grandpa-geek · · Score: 1

    The 10 Gb Ethernet standard has been out there for several years now. IEEE-USA has had a position statement for at least two or three years advocating implementation of gigabit speed, bidirectional, broadband technology in the US. Other countries are implementing this technology for reasons of competitiveness and because it is feasible with current technology. Note that the communications chips in newer PC's are gigabit capable.

    We need to do this to avoid becoming a third world telecommunications country, which is what we are on track for becoming. Companies like Verizon are offering dumbed down broadband, possibly for two reasons:

    1. There is a "law" enunciated by Roxanne Googin, editor of a telecom newsletter, to the effect that broadband will either be a profitable monopoly (that the provider squeezes for all they can) or a "worthless commodity" (because the marginal cost and therefore the market price) approaches zero.

    2. The providers want to couple broadband with entertainment. Gigabit, bidirectional broadband threatens the business models of the entertainment industry.

    IEEE-USA has advocated separating content from carriage. This would make broadband providers common carriers. The user would negotiate content separately with content providers.

    Trying to do it with BPL is a bad idea. BPL has three problems: interference, interference, and interference. Power engineers aren't accustomed to considering wavelength issues, because the wavelength at 60 Hz is thousands of miles. But at broadband frequencies the wavelength is a few feet. Any rusty attachment on a guy wire can become a source of intermodulation products that can then be radiated by the guy wire.

  30. BPL screws up shortwave radio by PinchDuck · · Score: 1

    The great thing about Amateur Radio is that it allows people to connect in far-flung places. In an area as large as the Malay Archipelago, I have to believe that good, clear radio contact would take precedence over a technology that has been tried and abandoned in several different areas. No one thinks about the HAM radio guys, until a disaster strikes. Then they are the first ones on the air, delivering status reports and relaying information about what is needed where.

    http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-03-19-powerline_x.htm

    1. Re:BPL screws up shortwave radio by jimrob · · Score: 2, Informative

      I, as well as many others I'm sure, have submitted numerous news stories to /. about the flagrant bias toward BPL and the facts being covered up by the FCC. Oddly, none ever get posted. Mod me troll, I don't care; I think it's obvious what side of the issue the /. mods are on.

      http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/

  31. RFI by Detritus · · Score: 1

    If they use HF and low-VHF frequencies, it isn't just an issue for Indonesia. They could cause interference all over the world. I wish someone would put a stake in the heart of BPL and chop off its head. A power line is a very large antenna, not a properly shielded transmission line. Mumbo-jumbo about new technology is not going to repeal the laws of electromagnetic theory.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  32. Third World? by Lorien_the_first_one · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hardly a fair comparison. Japan vs. the US is a much better comparison. In some parts, they are offering 1Gbps. In most places, the average is 60 Mbs for about $35/mo.

    Republicans have never been big on competition. Just ask their friends who helped to write the 1996 Telecommunications Act. That whole "Republican Revolution" was really a revolution for their *Republican* investor friends.

    Bear Stearns will quietly tell you that Bush just wanted to bail his friends out. That's the free market for ya.

    Until the market gets *really* free from the incumbents, we aren't going to see very high speeds on our internet connections. Here's a great link on the subject of how Bush and his friends let it happen:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/28/AR2007082801990_pf.html

    Yes, Republicans like free markets, as long as its free for *Republican* investors to pillage, rape and burn.

    So the next time you wonder why you're still using DSL at 1.5 Mbs, just ask Bush. At least he knows what a checkout scanner in s supermarket looks like. (Or does he?) Or you can go here: www.speedmatters.org

    Enjoy.

    --
    The diversity and expression of human opinion is essential to human survival.
    1. Re:Third World? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's a new documentary on YouTube about the Bear Stearn's bailout.

    2. Re:Third World? by idiotnot · · Score: 1

      So, you link to a CWA-funded site that seeks to keep us locked-in to government-sanctioned monopolies....but, you know, think of the workers!

      I'm perfectly happy with my DSL connection from a CLEC competing with the monopoly phone and cable company. I don't mind the ~14Mbps I get most of the time. If I need more speed than that, I turn off the television that's provided over the same line. In fact, that's just what I did last night, when I had a big ISO to download.

    3. Re:Third World? by kklein · · Score: 1

      I have a 100Mbit connection (Japan) that runs at about 83Mbit, which is way above average.

      I have noticed absolutely no difference in speed from when I had a 50Mbit ADSL line that actually only ran at 4Mbit. None.

      BitTorrent is still slow as hell. My game ping is still on the highish end.

      I think all this focus on the speed of one's connection is hogwash. ISPs throttle certain traffic, or the server you're connecting to doesn't have that much bandwidth for you, or you're limited by all the other, slower speeds of people in the swarm who are also on the other side of the planet.

      After all the trouble I went to to finally get my apartment wired for fibre, I realize that I was in the same place with my 24Mbit connection that ran at 3Mbit and only cost $28/mo. with ISP.

      I am not impressed by fast connections anymore.

    4. Re:Third World? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you mainly use US-based websites or do you use japanese ones? That may be the difference for speed, but I could also see it being a server issue.

      Personally, I don't think the Japanese internet speeds will be really utilized until servers with SSD drives are commonplace.

    5. Re:Third World? by raju1kabir · · Score: 1

      Maybe part of the problem is that you're a foreigner who is after non-local content.

      Stream yourself some NHK or torrent one of those fine Japanese movies about the guys with really long moustaches and watch the bits fly!

      I know that's how it works where I live (the warmer, beachier part of Asia).

      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
    6. Re:Third World? by Capt+James+McCarthy · · Score: 1

      Sigh....Yes, I understand you dislike Bush. GWB to be clearer. Or the Republicans. Either way, do you somehow believe that any party would not help their like kind. If you don't believe that, then you sir are what they call gullible.

      And to get your 'source' correct here, are you saying that Japan has 100Mb connectivity to all 3000 islands? Or perhaps it's easier to cable out 145,000 sq miles instead of nearly 4 million sq miles.

      Are you suggesting that electing a non-republican (notice I didn't limit to the two major parties, just in case. LOL!) would mean you can get 100Mb/1Gb internet connectivity? I didn't know that's the way it worked. Thanks.

      --
      There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
  33. Those dang laws of physics! by Ancient_Hacker · · Score: 1

    I find it hard to believe these guys can violate the laws of Physics, and in a big way. Power lines and power transformers are optimized for passing 50 to 60 Hz. Not 50 to 60 MegaHertz! Your typical wire in the air is going to lose about 99.9% of a 50MHz signal every city block, plus it will pick up tons of noise. I'd be surprised if they can emulate a single 10mbps twisted pair.

    1. Re:Those dang laws of physics! by Nonillion · · Score: 1

      They're coupling ODFM RF in the HF band onto those unshielded wires overhead. BPL is one of the worst broadband abortions known to man. It serves NOTHING more than to boot a nations broadband deployment statistics with the most "cardboard, duct tape and bailing wire" method imaginable.

      --
      "I bow to no man" - Riddick
  34. OT'ish: shielded powerlines by Froze · · Score: 1

    Is anyone aware of a shielded power line (coax, twisted pair or other) that would work also as a RF(or higher) transmission line? In the US almost without exception house wiring is either 10, 12 or 16 gauge parallel solid coper cable. Ideally it would seem that a single power/wave-guide line would allow for pretty much unlimited adaptability in refitting, oh say your toaster oven to a recipe management terminal, or whatever.

    --
    -- The morphemes of your disquisition are ascertainable, but they have eschewed an ambit of transpicuous exposition.
  35. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Dan541 · · Score: 1

    ~Dan I knew I'd fuck up someday

    --
    An SQL query goes to a bar, walks up to a table and asks, "Mind if I join you?"
  36. Re:Indonesia? by whiskey6 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Yeah, Indonesia is such a poor country. Whilst $1.58 is cheap to us, don't forget that the average salary over there is around $200/month, if that, which is why so many of them go work on cruise ships. When I was there a litre of gas was $.35-ish, a bottle of beer $.80 and a really freaking good local meal around $5 or so. So the rate may seem cheap, but it's actually quite a bit for your average Indonesian.

  37. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Tastecicles · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I might throw your post right back at you - again. 1. Islam preaches peace and tolerance. Christianity preaches destruction of nonbelievers with extreme prejudice. The proof is RIGHT THERE in the Bible AND in the 13C Crusades, AND in the current US Cruisade against Nonbelievers in the Christian faith. It's all a matter of historical record. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Please. FTR, nowhere in the Koran does it say anything about strapping a bomb to one's chest and claiming 2800 people in the name of Allah. 2. So Clinton got his cock sucked. And? The United States suffered what for it? Oh yes, the first budget SURPLUS in living memory! Point being that it matters not a jot what these people did in private, their public faces spoke volumes for their worth to society. Mohammad is revered as a saint because of his actions in public, not for his private life. Let his PUBLIC ACTIONS speak for themselves. Let Clinton's public actions speak for themselves. Leave their private lives the fuck alone.

    --
    Operation Guillotine is in effect.
  38. Re:Indonesia? by johannesg · · Score: 1

    Ok, here's some answers to get you going:

    1. Power lines break during storms because the wind cracks the towers, causing them to fall over.

    2. Once broken, the electricity company will cut the power. It will then (but not before!) be safe to steal the lines.

    3. If you are using laptops as footwear, you are doing it wrong...

  39. High speed terror cells by jared.adam.young · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yeeeeah now we can order our IED rf/cdma/gsm kits at high speed.. Yeah baby.. High speed suicide bombings now.. Allah has never been prouder hah

  40. fritz their brains with unshielded RF by johnrpenner · · Score: 2, Insightful


    i sure hope they don't fritz their brains by exposing themselves to that much HARSHLY modulated unshielded RF energy...

  41. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by jared.adam.young · · Score: 1

    I might throw your post right back at you - again. 1. Islam preaches peace and tolerance. >> And or it uses it Mosques for hiding wpns Caches... sounds peaceful... >> Seems like the last 2000 suicide bombers were ummm muslims... sounds peaceful.. >> The last 17 WOMEN suicide bombers in Iraq were ummm muslims.. sounds peaceful, and abiding to the teachings of the karan.. Christianity preaches destruction of nonbelievers with extreme prejudice. The proof is RIGHT THERE in the Bible AND in the 13C Crusades, AND in the current US Cruisade against Nonbelievers in the Christian faith. It's all a matter of historical record. >> According to history wasnt ummmmm Islam spread through the sword... oh wait we burnt that history.. pesking muslims scholars.. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Please. FTR, nowhere in the Koran does it say anything about strapping a bomb to one's chest and claiming 2800 people in the name of Allah. >> and yet it is ever so common these days. Please.. Prove me wrong.. 2. So Clinton got his cock sucked. And? The United States suffered what for it? Oh yes, the first budget SURPLUS in living memory! Point being that it matters not a jot what these people did in private, their public faces spoke volumes for their worth to society. Mohammad is revered as a saint because of his actions in public, not for his private life. Let his PUBLIC ACTIONS speak for themselves. Let Clinton's public actions speak for themselves. Leave their private lives the fuck alone. >> not really sure what this statement has a "jot" to do with anything.. However Clintons are tied to INFOUSA which is nitorious for selling private information to questionable groups... Dont get all high and mighty on us and over look history of the past 100 years.. Your people arent exactly living the word..

  42. Re:Indonesia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nevermind that some people STEAL power lines and cables for money (how do they do that I have no frickin clue).

    It's not that hard:

    1. Cut the cable, preferably with something insulated so you don't get electrocuted.
    2. Take the cable to your local scrap metal dealer who will pay you per pound of metal you bring.

    It also happens in the USA. Thieves break in to foreclosed homes and steal the copper pipe & wire. With the price of copper so high on the world market, you can make quite a bit doing that.

  43. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    might throw your post right back at you - again. 1. Islam preaches peace and tolerance. Christianity preaches destruction of nonbelievers with extreme prejudice.

    You gotta be kidding. While there are some peace & tolerance verses in the Koran, there are lots of hatred & violence verses too. Unlike Christianity, which evolved & went through the renaissance, much of Islam is still stuck in 7th century barbarism.

    The proof is RIGHT THERE in the Bible AND in the 13C Crusades, AND in the current US Cruisade against Nonbelievers in the Christian faith. It's all a matter of historical record.

    The US constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Compare this to much of the muslim world where other religions are not allowed. And if they are allowed, they are 2nd-class citizens.

    And while the Crusades did occur, Christianity evolved. Today, as a group, Christians control most of the world's wealth, power, the most powerful militaries, and most of the world's nuclear arsenals.

    Not that long ago, there was a movie (the Davinci code) which Christians would regard as blasphemous. It claimed that Jesus was not the son of god, and Jesus didn't die on the cross.

    And what did the most powerful religious group in the world do? Did they burn the movie theaters? Did they bomb the dvd stores? Did they destroy Hollywood? No, they did nothing, aside from a handful of isolated peaceful protests.

    Compare to a few cartoons of the muslim prophet. Most of the muslim world exploded in violence, because they are unable to live in a civilized society with human rights (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, etc).

    Go ahead, prove me wrong. Please. FTR, nowhere in the Koran does it say anything about strapping a bomb to one's chest and claiming 2800 people in the name of Allah.

    You know, bombs did not exist back then you idiot. But there are lots of verses about sacrificing yourself in a holy war.

    Mohammad is revered as a saint because of his actions in public, not for his private life. Let his PUBLIC ACTIONS speak for themselves.

    Exactly. Mohamed spread his religion by force: convert or die. That is why Islam spread from the Arabian peninsula all the way to Indonesia, the Phillipines, Algeria, and the gates of Vienna.

  44. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by budgenator · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You seem to have glossed over the point that Islam, Judaism and Christianity all worship the same God.

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  45. Us Bloody Large Americans.... by jflo · · Score: 0

    I'm sure that the 224 Mbps is great and all...... but that just isn't for American internet users yet... I am we gotta test this stuff in 3rd world countries first just to make sure it's not a bad thing. Plus, we Americans LOVE paying for overpriced and undervalued things.... that 10 Mbps is just right for us I say!

    --
    WWPD - What Would Picard Do?
  46. It's a Miracle by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 1

    Yeah, the right way to serve Indonesia's public is to offer free subsidies to people who go to church more.

    What about linking up the schools instead?

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  47. Wonky math by Ifni · · Score: 1

    Using the numbers from the summary (because RTFA would be too much work), FiOS appears to come out cheaper per user, though possibly with a bandwidth hit. From the article, the cost is $1.58/mo per user for 60 million users spread across 400,000 mosques.

    60,000,000*1.58/400,000=$237/mo per mosque

    FiOS is $42.99/mo per site (mosques in this case).

    237/42.99=5.51 times more expensive than FiOS, though they supposedly get (224/30=) 7.46 times the bandwidth based on download speeds. However, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia , such speeds at each mosque are unrealistic, leading me to believe that this is likely a shared pipe at the local head ends, tipping the scales substantially in the favor of FiOS. I will leave that math as an exercise for the reader.

    --

    Oh, was that my outside voice?

  48. I'd be *delighted* to get close to max speed. . . by JSBiff · · Score: 2, Insightful

    out of my current Internet connection. I don't get these broadband p!ssing contests. Such and such a country leads/trails the world in broadband connection speeds blah blah.

    As the parent said, a fast connection to your ISP is relatively meaningless. I currently have TimeWarner RoadRunner cable. I can't complain about it *too* much. Overall it provides a pretty decent internet experience.

    But, I know that the maximum download speed I ever got was somewhere around 6000 kbps (downloading a tv show from Amazon.com's Unbox service, and it surprised the hell out of me cause I had no idea the cable connection could even theoretically support that high of a speed), but most of the time, I don't get anywhere *close* to that. My maximum upload speed is somewhere between about 300-500 kbps (I haven't figured out exactly what it is yet).

    However, in practice, most sites on the Internet are not able to push bits to me fast enough over the Internet to come anywhere close to making use of the speed I currently have. Getting another 100 mbps isn't going to help me *at all*, most of the time. A *good* server can usually send data to me at a rate of 200-400kbps. Bittorrent sometimes gives me 300-500kbps downloads, but more often than not, it's like 60kbps. When I'm uploading/seeding with Bittorrent, I rarely see Bittorrent's upload bandwidth top out higher than about 15 kbps (does TimeWarner throttle Bittorrent, or is there some other factor to blame here? I think I *should* be able to upload data to other computers at about 250-300 kbps, but never actually see that).

    Anyhow, I won't care about a faster connection to my ISP until that connection is almost constantly saturated. I'd also rather see R&D/Investment go towards giving users a bit more upload capacity. The mindset that residential users shouldn't be hosting servers is kind of stupid, I think. Sure, most won't, but I'm pretty sure I don't have to argue the point too much on Slashdot that those who want to should be able to.

  49. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Mohammad is revered as a saint because of his actions in public, not for his private life. Let his PUBLIC ACTIONS speak for themselves."

    Hilarious. You asshole.
    Go to
    prophetofdoom.net

    and read the Koran and the hadiths, moron.

    Mo-HAM-HEAD is not "revered as a SAINT" - you cretin. His actions in PUBLIC were MASS MURDER, MULTIPLE RAPES, BIGAMY AND PAEDOPHILIA. Which part of those do you islamist apologists have a problem with understanding?

    Like I said before:
    What sort of people worship such a monster and call him 'the perfect man'?

    Like I said - Islam is pure evil. Or hadn't you noticed? Ever see a muslim husband holding his wife's hand in public? Showing any affection whatsoever? I doubt it...

  50. On uniqueness by charlesbakerharris · · Score: 1

    60 million very unique users? We must have different definitions of the word "unique".

  51. In perspective by nanoakron · · Score: 1

    5 Malaysian Ringgit per user per month (as you rightly say = US$1.58) may not sound like much to us, but is equivalent Rp14,500 (Indonesian Rupiah) per user per month - quite significant when the average household income is only Rp84,000/month for those who are actually in regular employment.

    And most mosques in Indonesia are spread amongst the poorest communities, where the average household income will be much lower and contributions to their local mosque lower still.

    That US$1.58 becomes quite a significant proportion of the poor rural mosque's monthly income.

    1. Re:In perspective by raju1kabir · · Score: 1

      the average household income is only Rp84,000/month
      You are claiming the average monthly household income in Indonesia is US$9/month? Have you been to Indonesia? I think you're off by a factor of 5 if not more.
      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
  52. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Check out the reality of Islam:

    Fitna

  53. 400,000 Mosques !?!?!? by FVK · · Score: 1

    400,000

    That's a lot of mosques. There's only ~1200 mosques in the US. Verizon is already helping to spy on them, now it's Indonesia's turn.

    1. Re:400,000 Mosques !?!?!? by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 1

      Maybe calling your house a mosque in Indonesia gets you a tax break...

    2. Re:400,000 Mosques !?!?!? by urcreepyneighbor · · Score: 1

      Verizon is already helping to spy on them, now it's Indonesia's turn. Thank you, Verizon.
      --
      "The fight for freedom has only just begun." - Geert Wilders
  54. Re:Oh boy! by couchslug · · Score: 1

    "And what's with all the Islam apologist idiots on here today? "

    But, but, religion is "special". It's not PC to attack any superstition, only purely secular beliefs. Americans have been brainwashed by the superstition-based attacks between superstitions to think that ALL superstitions should be left critically unexamined. They have also been brainwashed into differentiating doctrine from practice, which differentiation is actually a dodge superstitions use for self-defense. "Don't judge X-religion by its followers, judge it by the books of mumbo-jumbo which I will interpret for you."

    I could attack Nazism all day, but I'd get modded flamebait for comparing Jihadist calls for death to the Jews as Islamonazism. The solution is to develop a very thick skin and press on.

    Religion is nothing more than a framework for enslavement to other believers and has always been a threat to freedom. We forget how many Christians had to die before they relaxed their stranglehold on government. (I thank the French for their liberal use of the guillotine in that regard.) Now that most religions have been tamed, we have Islam left as the last attempt to set freethinking back thousands of years. IMO that's worth any level of violence to stop, and just because the NeoCons are incompetent and Bush is as sharp as a bowling ball does not mean there isn't a clash of cultures.

    --
    "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  55. Re:Indonesia? by Kyokushi · · Score: 1

    $1.58 is about Rp15000 here. It's kind equivalent to 5 hours of netcafe, and most people using netcafes use them for more than 5 hours each month.
    Those who dont have money for netcafes arent likely to have time to spend browsing the internet at all.

  56. Done it in Tasmania by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Haven't those little feisty tasmanians already done this?
    http://www.zdnet.com.au/tag/broadband-power_line-tasmania.htm

  57. The best place is probably by TheAxeMaster · · Score: 1

    anywhere they have buried power lines. Not common at all in the US but many places do it.

  58. High speed pr0n in mosque now. by liftphreaker · · Score: 1

    Now they can all get high speed pr0n in their mosques. That is, if they don't have their eyes gouged out (what's the sharia punishment for watching pr0n?) for that.

  59. Mosques Coverage in Indonesia by FromTheHorizon · · Score: 1

    I live in Indonesia - and there are mosques everywhere. In some places it won't be too hard to stick a WiFi router on every mosque, to give the entire city internet access. I think that it's a pretty good idea - if only they could broadcast their calls to pray (which start before sunrise) over WiFi too, instead of over the speakers!

  60. Re:Indonesia? by Amitz+Sekali · · Score: 1

    US$200 is probably for big city in multinational companies doing low-skilled work. Ever since 1997 crisis, average income is around US$100/month. Median salary is way below that, I say around US$60/month. Internet will be the last thing on their mind.

    --
    If you delay pleasure infinitely, the pleasure will be infinite. (YM)
  61. What the article actually mean by Amitz+Sekali · · Score: 1

    I don't think that was intended to be marketing deception.

    The article probably combine the number of mosque and member of the 2 largest Islamic organization in Indonesia: Nadhlatul Ulama (the progressive moderate Islamic organization. mentioned in TFA) and Muhammadiyah (the not so progressive moderate Islamic organization). Both have member base of around 60 millions people (NU: 40m and M: 20m). They probably control 400,000 mosques in total.

    --
    If you delay pleasure infinitely, the pleasure will be infinite. (YM)
  62. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You seem to have glossed over the point that Islam, Judaism and Christianity all worship the same God.

    Absolutely not.

    The concept of Jesus as the son of God and the holy trinity makes Christianity incompatible with Islam & Judaism.

  63. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by anthonys_junk · · Score: 1

    +1 Funny. Because it wasn't me.

    --
    Barbara Felden claims prior art on the flip phone, sues Motorola, Nokia.
  64. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Allah and the God of the Bible are NOT the same!

    From the Quran, Surah 2:191:
    "And slay the disbelievers wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and the turmoil they cause is worse than slaying; and do not fight them near the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; so if they fight you, slay them; this is the punishment of the disbelievers."

    From the Bible, II Peter 3:9:
    "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

    Allah says to kill disbelievers, God (aka Jesus Christ) desires for all to repent and none to perish.

  65. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Judaism and Christianity perhaps. Islam too? No.

  66. Cheap at half Your Life! by haakondahl · · Score: 1
    "...a cost of only around RM5 ($1.58) per user per month. That's the cheapest, fastest internet connection in the world."

    And it still costs a month's wages in DurkaDurkaStan.

    --
    Don't trust anyone under thirty.
  67. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by Tastecicles · · Score: 1

    BZZT! You lose. Personal attacks being signatory of a loser in an open forum. Go hide under a table.

    --
    Operation Guillotine is in effect.
  68. Re:I'd be *delighted* to get close to max speed. . by darthflo · · Score: 1

    Sorry to say this, but your connection appears to suck. I tend to get 6 mbps maxed out for most http and ftp downloads (I'm talking software updates from official servers here), throughput of less than an mbps being the exception.
    BitTorrent happily eats up most of the bandwidth thrown at it (in excess of 150 mbps on two 100 mbps lines, given a few good peers). That way, even multi-cd distributions just fly through the series of tubes :)

  69. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by pppppppman · · Score: 1

    Then why don't we just make them the same person/all-powerfull-thing so the people stop killing each-other?

    I know I wouldn't mind... then again I am athiest...

  70. Cow excrement by JokoSembung · · Score: 2, Insightful

    As an Indonesian I can assure you that this is 100% pure undiluted Indonesian-made bovine manure. Currently the best available consumer level unlimited internet is offered by the government owned phone company. For $75/month you get an advertised 384kbps down and 64kbps up. More likely, on a good day you'll get 30KByte/s and 5KByte/s. That's shamefully slow, and it only started a couple of years ago. A 224Mbps line for every user bwahahahhahahahah, I'd be surprised if there's that much bandwidth for the whole country right now. Our government workers clocks in at 10am and clocks out at 2pm. This is including a 2 hour lunch. These folks can't keep the traffic light running correctly for more than a couple of days, let alone roll a nation-wide cutting edge broadband. If you still don't believe me. The same Information minister who is most likely the source of this idiotic bragging, a week ago decided to roll out free internet on mosques. And to keep this intention purely educational wanted to block porn at the ISP level. (Block porn, now *THAT* always work). And his idea to implement this is to block all forums requiring the users to be 18 years or older. Because apparently all forum with age check contains nothing but pictures of naked women (and men). Please folk, this ain't no Japan or Scandinavia.

  71. A fix by nicatronTg · · Score: 1

    Google the TCP Optimizer, it will stop connection road blocks. Your connection sucks out load..

    --
    hxxp://nthegreat.co.nr
  72. Security by BaileDelPepino · · Score: 0

    Having that kind of bandwidth over a medium as ubiquitous as power lines sounds great, right up until you realize you have to firewall it. Who wants to firewall their PC's power supply? Perhaps we haven't gotten the technology that far yet, but if we're talking IP over power lines, it's certainly moving in that direction. And that's not a place I want to have to go.

    --
    Miren al Pepino! Los vegetales invidian a su amigo, como él quieren bailar. Pepino Bailarín!
  73. Re:Isn't "Smart Mosque" an oxymoron? by tabrnaker · · Score: 1

    The concept of Jesus as the son of God and the holy trinity makes Christianity incompatible with Islam & Judaism. The concept you are talking about has nothing to do with christianity as it is an invention of the Catholic church.
  74. Will they actually be offered these speeds? by moonshinerat · · Score: 1

    It will be interesting as to whether they actually get these speeds at these prices. In Ecuador, where I am living now, 1Mbit is just about unheard of. I'm paying $45 a month for 256k and thats with pressure from the government to drop internet prices; it used to be $73 a month. As far as I can understand the maximum transmission on ADSL would be 12Mbit but our ISP's know they can make more money out of us. On top of that, it's been taking me almost seven minutes sometimes to get a response from a DNS, but once the connections been made the speed goes back to normal. I think this is an example of the companies not having the technical knowledge to run their own systems properly.

  75. Re:I'd be *delighted* to get close to max speed. . by JSBiff · · Score: 1

    Pretty much. But, like I said, it doesn't seem to be the connection to the ISP - it seems to be the Internet at large. I do, from time to time, get downloads of 1mbps+. But, to give an example, last night I downloaded OpenOffice.org latest build using Bittorrent - it started out very slow, and eventually built up to a whopping 140 kbps I think.

    Downloading Ubuntu updates (and I've tried various mirrors) will often be slow, but generally around 300-600kbps. It's just incredibly variable though. Sometimes I will get 2000, or 3000 kbps downloads. Very frustrating.