Global Broadband Internet Networks
(February 17, 1999)
Global electronic distance education, global healthcare and telemedicine obviously requires information infrastructure in global scale. For this, we advocate the combined use of following broadband wireless and satellite Internet as much as possible.

I.    Technologies

     
 A.   Wide range via satellite in global scale:

            1.  Use of similar scheme as the "Medical
                 Information Network by Communication
                 Satellite for University Hospital (MINCS-UH)" in
                 Japan. This connects more than two dozen
                 university hospitals around Japan with two-way,
                 broadband (45 Mbps) digital satellite channels
                 for medical diagnosis with HDTV.

                 The technical investigation is now underway if
                 this network can be used as a backbone of
                 Internet.

           2.   Use of DirecPC for individual home users.

     B.   Medium range via microwave (50, 100 to 200 miles):

           1.   Use of microwave network which can carry 45
                 Mbps -- this is for connecting main buildings.

                 This is similar scheme as the branch campus
                 network of Shinshu University in Japan which
                 connects a half dozen branch campuses.

           2.   Use of terrestrial TV frequencies for
                 downloading at 0.5 to 4 Mbps and Internet
                 access through ordinary telephone for
                 uploading at 56 Kbps, -- this is for individual
                 home users.

     C.   Near range (up to 10 to 25 miles):

           1.   Between buildings with the use of spread
                 spectrum broadband (2 Mbps) wireless unit,

                 a.    If in line of sight -- up to 10 Mbps,
                 b.    If not in line of sight -- up to 128 Kbps.

           2.   In building use of the same, in order to save
                 hard wiring cost with optical fiber network
                 (which may amount $30,000 to 50,000).

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