Licence-free wireless internet access technologies

Wireless Technology has become a primary system for delivering high speed Internet access in Latvia. Because of poor quality telephone infrastructure, developing countries face the difficult task of connecting locations (located in the same area - city) with dedicated high bandwidth needs (from 256 kbps to 4 Mbps). The Eastern European country of Latvia is given as example where poor telephone infrastructure has been overcome by providing high-speed wireless Internet links to universities, schools, and government agencies. In 1993, the Latvian academic network LATNET began experimenting with low cost 2 Mb/s wireless LAN PC adapters for use in a citywide University network. Currently the LATNET wireless system in Riga is the most important part of the educational network, which connects more than two hundred sites including university departments, institutes, high schools, and government agencies. This paper gives a practical account of the development of the LATNET wireless systems, including regulatory issues, technical solutions, educational and social benefits, and highlights upcoming wireless solutions for developing and developed countries. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.