Free Wi-Fi Across Europe
The president of the European Union has recently declared that every country in the UE will offer its citizens free Wi-Fi access by 2020. The first hotspots will be installed in parks, libraries, public squares and banks. Every European capital should also have 5G mobile coverage by 2025, according to Jean-Claude Juncker.
The costs for installing and maintaining the hotspots are estimated to about 120 million euros. It’s not a huge amount of money, because many European countries already offer free Wi-Fi access to their citizens.
Free Internet Access in London’s Underground Network
London’s underground network consists of 270 stations, and about 250 of them provide free Internet access to commuters.
That’s great news for people who want to surf the net while waiting for their trains to arrive. There are 20 more stations to go, but the entire project will be finished soon.
Underwater Wi-Fi Gets a Boost
The technology used by underwater wireless networks was built in the ’90s, so it’s not a surprise that engineers are developing new software and hardware to boost underwater communication speeds.
Right now, the amount of data that can be transmitted underwater is a lot smaller in comparison with what can be achieved in open air. Why is that happening, when even the humble RP-SMA cable has a passband that reaches 20GHz, and sometimes more? It’s true that wired connections are lightning fast – the Internet itself relies on huge, thick undersea cables! – but wireless underwater communication is sometimes the only option when it comes to search-and-rescue operations, tsunami detection, and other specific, water related operations.
Fortunately, researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed a set of hardware and software tools that are going to fix not only the low communication speeds, but several other problems: lack of standardization, big delays, and so on.
In its initial phase, the new technology will be used to monitor pollution and for military purposes.
Free Orthodox Wi-Fi in Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church has promised to offer its people free, Wi-Fi based access to the Internet, filtering the sites that include inappropriate content. The service is already available near churches and in several public places in the capital of Russia – Moscow.
The head of the Russian religious council has declared that the Internet is filled with sites that pose serious threats, including pornography and presenting distorted versions of history.
People who access the Internet using this service will get access not only to religious sites, but also to various sites that promote good, moral values and don’t contradict the Bible principles.