TECHNOLOGY
Wireline began with the telephone copper lines into the homes. You may remember the old dial-up modem DSL days with 56Kbs speeds, perhaps using AOL service. Gradually that matured into faster and faster speeds using thicker copper lines, which we all came to know as cable broadband (expensive).
Fiber broadband has evolved to deliver the fastest internet possible, and is used as the backbone of the internet. Fiber to the home is mostly cost prohibitive.
Wireless transmission began to emerge in the late nineties, called WiMax and Wi-Fi. Obviously Wi-Fi won that war. And the speeds of
Wi-Fi have evolved now to deliver HD video streams to distances of many miles. What’s more, cellular technology, specifically 4G LTE and 5G is also capable of delivering the same HD video streams, albeit at a much shorter distance.
Satellite technology has evolved to deliver high-speed internet service, but at a cost. But it has limited use due to the latency be-
cause of the distances the signal has to travel, and the penetration properties of the atmosphere (clouds).
Doing any web search on any of these specific technologies will bring up all the detailed information that you would ever want.
In summary the history of the internet is a long and detailed story. But the only thing that matters as far as we are concerned is
where are we now? And how can | get affordable high-speed internet at my house?