Balão garante cobertura Wi-Fi

A mobilidade vai encontrando soluções cada vez mais criativas para radicalizar os seus objetivos. Vejam esta iniciativa da Universidade de York, no Reino Unido, de aparelhar um balão para permitir conexão wi-fi na região que sobrevoar, em altíssima velocidade e a baixíssimos custos. A intenção é facilitar as comunicações em zonas de desastres ou em situações necessárias em regiões de infra-estrutura carente.
O artigo está no New Scientist Breaking News.

"A blisteringly fast data downlink provided by a stratospheric balloon floating 24,000 metres above the Earth has been tested for the first time.
The untethered, 12,000-cubic-metre helium balloon was tested on 31 August for several hours. Analysis now shows the test was a success and sent data to the ground at 1.25 gigabits per second. That is thousands of times the capacity of a home broadband internet connection and the first time such a link has been tested from the stratosphere.
The test craft was developed by the Capanina Consortium – 14 European academic and industry partners funded mainly by the European Union. They hope the craft may be able to provide communications in disaster zones or low-cost internet access in the developing world.
David Grace, one of the project scientists behind the test, from the University of York, UK, says stratospheric communications balloons provide wireless alternatives to fixed internet infrastructure. "You could rapidly put communications infrastructure where it doesn't exist," he told New Scientist. "In developing countries it could be a cheaper way to roll out, and you could do it incrementally."

Tags: mobile, wifi, socialsoftware