MIT Cracks Fiber-Optics Conundrum
245114
Researchers say they've created a nifty optics-on-a-chip device that overcomes a major obstacle in harnessing the full power and speed of light waves. By the Associated Press.
59331
Data speeds could get a boost from Intel breakthrough into processors that make and manipulate light.
98860
The hardware networking company is trying to break out of the doldrums.
597610
In an advance that could drive down the cost of optical networks, researchers have built a laser using silicon, the same material used in computer chips, that shines without stopping or blinking.
435633
A consortium of network innovators proved today that a user, without  prior knowledge of a network or an understanding of how to configure it,  could create their own private optical network on demand, via a web page  and Web Services interface.
301862
A group of MIT grads attempt to decipher airlines' hopelessly Byzantine ticket-pricing structure.
721852
(InfoWorld) - A high-tech mecca in Silicon Valley wants to get even more connected by rolling out a superfast fiber network for all its residents. The city of Palo Alto, California, home to many major IT vendors and venture capital firms, last week put out an RFP (request for proposals) seeking a private partner to build a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network. The required speed: 100M bps (bits per second) both downstream and upstream. And as debate swirls in nearby San Francisco over how much the city should be involved in a proposed citywide Wi-Fi network, Palo Alto's position is clear: It wants to eventually own the whole fiber network. The drive by some U.S. cities to build their own broadband networks has been attacked by incumbent carriers and other critics who claim governments have an unfair competitive advantage. Many municipalities have taken a different tack by forming partnerships with private network providers. This approach is now under fire in San Francisco, where the city's budget analyst is studying the business case for a government-owned wireless system. City ownership is critical for network neutrality, according to Peter Allen, a founder of the advocacy group Palo Alto Fiber Network. The city understands that having a service provider own a municipal network doesn't work, he said. "If UPS owned Highway 1, FedEx would not be able to make competitive deliveries," Allen said. Existing service providers that might object to the city's plan, such as local incumbent AT&T Inc., can compete for the project along with other private applicants, he said. Palo Alto, a mostly affluent and liberal city of 60,000, already owns several of its own utilities. Its electric utility owns a fiber-optic ring around the city that links to the Palo Alto Internet Exchange, a "peering point" where most major Internet service providers meet on the Internet. In 2000, the city launched an FTTH trial that reached 66 homes and drew rave reviews from users. The city explored having the electric utility build a fiber network itself but found that its plan to pay for it with revenue bonds wasn't allowed, according to the RFP. The council eventually settled on seeking a private partner, then transferring ownership to the city after a few years. How that transfer would work has yet to be determined. At a minimum, the network would provide data, video and VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service, according to the RFP. It would be neutral and open to multiple service providers who would buy wholesale access. The city wants services to be affordable and available citywide, though some remote parts of the city might not get the full 100M bps bandwidth, according to the RFP. A service provider would have to come up with just over US$36 million to build the whole network and operate it until it achieved positive cash flow, according to Neil Shaw, a principal at Uptown Services LLC, a Boulder, Colorado, consulting firm the city hired to study the concept in 2002-2003. That estimate included an upgrade after 10 years to provide even greater speed. Uptown estimated revenue from the network would pay off that capital investment within 14 years. The cost of building fiber networks has gone down since 2003, Shaw added. Responses to the RFP have to be in by Nov. 28, and the city plans to identify the finalists on Dec. 18, according to the RFP. The timing of its final choice will depend on what responses come in and how long it takes to review them, said Kathy Bradley, the city's contract administrator.
574683
A chipset allowing users to send HD video wirelessly throughout the home faces hurdles due to competing technology standards.
275304
Transmission of a secret encryption key in Vienna shows that 'entangled' photons can withstand the rigors of the real world.
264803
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has warned of security vulnerabilities in its implementation of Kerberos that could allow attackers free access to protected systems. Users of MIT Kerberos 5 are urged to apply patches immediately.
575412
Internet decisions aren't always made at Internet speeds.
198029
Researchers find way to make tiny structures emit different wavelengths of light.
567747
Vendors complete the first live 40-Gbps optical transmission trial.
149266
By Vaisman, Fima  Fiber cabling is best for IP security networks, but connectivity may not always be possible. Digital video surveillance is becoming a distributed IP network application.
49809
Data speeds could get a boost from an Intel breakthrough into processors that make and manipulate light.
223736
It was supposed to reconcile atoms with space-time. Now, Lee Smolin wants to unravel the unifying approach. By Adam Rogers from Wired magazine.
136513
Rajiv Laroia was handed a dream assignment at Lucent's Bell Labs in 1997: Invent a way to put a broadband Internet in the sky. Don't worry about existing cell phone systems, just do it right.