Instant Internet

**Jalokim**

Jalokim

Manager

Instant Internet - we want it quicker! 12705810

...But at what cost? With the internet growing in functionality we search for even faster internet connection. Fast uploads, uninterrupted skype calls ...

The answer to incredibly fast internet is pretty simple. Fibre Optics.

Since I worked a bit with wires and cables , when I was employed by Polish Television, I'll take the time to explain fibre optics.

Fibre optics are a special kind of wire. on the outside they look like any regular outlet cable, but the secret is inside.
See most fibre optical cables an not copper inside... they are actually hollow, with a thin layer of glass, or reflective metal covering the inside.

So how does this work. Simple, since the inside of the cable is reflective , light bounces from one wall to the next creating this zigzag pattern as it moves along the entire wire.
Since light travels , well, at the speed of light it is almost instant. With the correct technology on both ends of the wire, data can be sent via fibre optics, just like video and audio is sent by news crews nowadays.

So what does this mean for the internet?
100 times faster internet. No typo there. Your internet would be 100 times faster if it where sent via a fibre optic wire.

So why hasn't it been implemented yet.
couple reasons, actually.

1) fibre optics are expensive to create. The tech needed for internet data is expensive.

2) the glass fibre optics are extremely fragile. Sometimes even stepping on a fibre optic wire can make it crack inside, thus eliminating the reflective properties.

3) there are wireless complications.

But nevertheless scientists are working on fibre optic web cables , that will push waiting for a youtube movie out the window. Pay per view and video on demand will finally become a pleasant reality and conference calls can expand to HD quality and to multiple call situations.

just to roll out some stats.
an average polish internet connection is 1MBps which is exactly 120kb/s download and 80kb/s upload.
That is a 4MB MP3 file downloaded in 2 minutes
and a 1GB file downloaded in over 2 hours.

Speed that up by 100... you get a 1GB file in a few seconds.

you think your HDD will rev up enough to write that down fast enough?

Your thoughts on this?

Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:09 pm by **Kryptonian** · Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:09 pm by **Kryptonian**

Nice. But can you send a 6gb+ file from Europe to Japan to the United States, and back to Europe in less than 8 seconds? -The upcoming internet: Grid

I currently get about 16mb per second... and personally, that is fast enough...

Xfinity is going to have 100mb per second... but the issue is is that most servers don't give data that fast...

Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:58 am by **Ronin** · Wed Apr 07, 2010 12:58 am by **Ronin**

I am going to Xfinity because of the $30.00 for the first 6 months.
Currently I have a 3MB connection from Verizon. It does the job.

Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:03 am by RecAgenda · Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:03 am by RecAgenda

Fiber optics is wonderful technology. When satellites installations were all the buzz, people though our internet would be coming from space... little did they know that we could still use wires as a more efficient method.

Yes, fiber optic grid installations will be out-of-this-world expensive, and - much like when smartphones first came out - the top consumers will be wealthy families of the upper-middle class and I-got-too-much-money-to-say-hi-to-you class (A.K.A. Tight Wads). But eventually the market will balance out and fiber optics will be affordable for many, just like the modern day smartphone is now.

As far as their fragile structure: AT&T's U-verse campgain claims that their fiber optic network (one is currently being constructed in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas - which is the closest installation to me about 45 minutes away) will be built underground. When I heard this I thought: no shit. I'm glad we're not making the same freaking mistake that we did with telephone lines.

Now, looking at Kryptonian's point about server-side speeds; many servers (or services) that offer file hosting (like Box.net or MegaUpload) had limits on their transfer speeds. So our new light-speed internet connections will only see a ratio difference. True, it may be exciting at first, but then we'll be bitching at our kind hosts instead of our phone companies. Shifting the blame will be the only result of that attempted fix.

In retrospect, here's what I think will change, and what will not, according to the internet marketplace:

Youtube Buffering: no buffering. You just have to make sure your monitor is on and that the video hasn't been removed cause somebody decided to try and rip it.

E-mail Sending and Receiving: You might as well be in a chat room! (I, personally, think that the Amerimail and Euromail cultures will finally begin to blend)

Loading Forumotion's help board: Can I get an alleluia?

Online File Sharing services: No change. Just more pricing plans to accommodate for more speeds at least until 2020 - when fiber optics is expected to become a mainstream method of internet connection.

Online Transaction/Banking sites (like PayPal): With the installment of fiber optics, internet banking organizations should be able to communicate more efficiently with their clients' banking institutes; allowing for rapid transfer approvals and - quite possibly - lower rate fees.

Online Gaming: Major gaming companies (such as EA) will get a big bonus check because avid gaming geeks will be upgrading to fiber optics, with less lag and a bigger variety of powerful games to tap into. This allows companies to invest more into online gaming and open up so many opportunities for their MMORPGs and (what really eats up those connections now) FPSs.

Ego-One: Jalokim can shove as much as he wants to on here and not have to worry about lag. XD

Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:04 am by MrMario · Wed Apr 07, 2010 1:04 am by MrMario

My ISP is only offering this fibre optics cable no matter what plan. I can't complain of my speed but I do wish it would be faster when I watch video's on my Xbox 360. I have seen the inside of the cable and it it really interesting to find what is inside.

Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:35 pm by pimentel2 · Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:35 pm by pimentel2

My ISP doesn't offer fiber yet. We have cable with a speed of 25 MBPS download and 6.15 MBPS Upload speeds. My internet is faster than a lot of the gamers I know, but its never enough Razz

I would love to get at least 100 MBPS, 1 GBPS would be a bit overkill.

Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:19 am by **Jalokim** · Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:19 am by **Jalokim**

All we really need to look at is how fast things are changing.

I don't think a 1GB/s internet connection is overkill.

I mean look within 10 years ... we switched from 700MB CD's to 4,8GB DVD's to 20 something BlueRay DVD's

I own an HP simplesave external HDD... its got 1 terabyte of space.
Western Digital are working on 8 tera and higher HDD's

Screens are getting bigger, both on TV's and cellphones... so more data is being sent. And HD? its 1080 pixel^2 images being flashed at your face at the rate of 30frames a second.

Everything is getting bigger, the quality is getting higher and the speed needs to keep up. I remember saying once that 1MB/s internet is the world.
Now a 20mb/s internet could use a bit more umph.

Oh and BTW, everything is going 3D now, cinema, tv, and even cameras.... thats gonna take up space.

Razz

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