Telecommunications
Latest News
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November 2, 1936 - the beginning of television
An extraordinary library of original files, scripts, letters, diary entries and photographs from the early days of British television went under the hammer in London earlier this year. -
Alphabet project uses light beams to bring broadband to remote regions
An Alphabet X innovation lab project has been working on a high-speed wireless optical communications network that uses beams of light instead of cables or radio waves, and folks in Kenya will be the first to benefit from the fruits of these labors. -
Internet balloon spends record-breaking 312 days in the stratosphere
An internet-beaming balloon has broken a flight record, staying aloft in the stratosphere for 312 days straight. Developed and launched by Loon, the balloon circumnavigated the globe for 10 months, demonstrating the resilience of the network. -
Emergency workers in fire-hit town tap into SpaceX's Starlink internet
SpaceX began launching its Starlink satellites into orbit last year in a bid to eventually blanket the Earth in high-speed internet, and while the mega-constellation is far from complete, some are already tapping into the connectivity on offer. -
Internet speed record shattered at 178 terabits per second
A new internet speed record has been clocked at an incredible 178 terabits per second (Tb/s) – fast enough to download the entire Netflix library in under a second. It's achieved by modulating light in new ways before beaming it down optical fibers. -
US government outlines plans for "unhackable" national quantum internet
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced and detailed a blueprint for a national quantum internet that would be super-fast and nigh on unhackable. The document describes four priority research areas, and five major milestones on the path. -
Alphabet's internet balloons take on first commercial task in Kenya
After a long series of test runs and stints serving disaster-struck populations in Puerto Rico and Peru, Alphabet’s internet-beaming Project Loon balloons have taken on their first commercial task, providing thousands with connections in Kenya. -
Quantum entanglement demonstrated on tiny CubeSat in orbit
Researchers have demonstrated quantum entanglement on a small satellite orbiting Earth. The team developed a miniaturized device that produces pairs of photons that are inextricably linked, which could help launch a fast and secure quantum internet. -
Aqua-Fi could bring Wi-Fi-like tech to the underwater world
Radio waves travel poorly through the water, which makes it difficult for divers or submersibles to wirelessly transmit information to the surface. Scientists are trying to change that, though, by developing an underwater version of Wi-Fi. -
Google opens up free access to Meet video conferencing for everyone
Since many of us can no longer have face-to-face chats with family and friends, we've turned to online video meetups. Google is opening up its Meet video conferencing portal to everyone with a Google account for free. -
Wi-Fi 6 ushered in as FCC opens up 6 GHz band for consumer use
Wi-Fi 6 is finally here. The FCC has officially adopted new rules that open up the 6 GHz band for use by regular routers and wireless devices. Basically, that means much faster Wi-Fi speeds for devices that make use of this new legroom. -
How governments shut the internet down to suppress dissent
Digital rights advocacy group Access Now has released its annual report revealing that governments around world are increasingly shutting down the internet, often to stifle dissent particularly during times of protest or elections.