Due to the high cost of personal computers (PCs), coupled with the high degree of technical sophistication required to operate them, over 65% of the US population alone still does not own a PC. They are, therefore, unable to gain access to the information super-highway. So, an inexpensive, easy-to-use Internet/WWW access service should be provided to the general public. The most promising devices proposed so far are the Network Computers (NCs) and TV Set-top boxes.
The other constraint is the medium for Internet connection. The overwhelming majority of today's netisens use telephone lines via slow modems, while the lucky few, are connected with T1 or T3 connections. With the introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW) over the Internet the need for network speed became a necessity. Gone are the days when a 2,400 kbps telephone modem was more than enough for accessing the, mostly, text-only Internet. Today a 28,800 kbps telephone modem is struggling to download a picture of a company's WWW home page. The Web is rich with multimedia content such as graphics, color imagery, video and voice. And users are hungry to get as much as they can. The new Telecommunications Bill of 1996 has given the Computer and Communications industries the flexibility to invent new ways for fast access to the Internet. Computer & Communications industries are now free to provide their services in any telecommunication domain. And the industries responded; ISDN, xDSL, Cablemodems, and Satellite connections are the most prominent technologies to provide Internet to the masses.
Copyright © 1996 Theodoros P. David, All Rights Reserved
Theodoros P. David
<tdavid@vt.edu>
Last modified: Mon Dec 16 14:52:09 1996