Networking

A discovery by the Centre for Ultra-high Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems at Sydney University's School of Physics could radically speed up internet traffic.

A team of researchers built a photonic integrated circuit switching system that is etched on to glass and allows data from fibre optic cables to be processed much more quickly. The team believes that it can boost data transfer rates by a factor of 60 for direct fibre links, but not those flowing via copper.

Unfortunately, neither IPv4 or IPv6 are incompatible, which means that any IPv4 device will have to be assigned an IPv6 number. IPv4 to IPv6 connections will either have to be translated or tunneled, like a VPN connection, via a router.

Bandwidth caps are almost universally loathed, except by the companies that implement them. Consumers hate them because they have to treat the Internet not as an inexhaustable resource, but as something that's doled out to them. Each page they view, video they watch, or song they stream moves the needle closer to zero with the resultant overage charges. Tech companies don't like them either. Video services such as Joost and Vuze rely on P2P to deliver their goods, and that, too is going to keep the bandwidth meter spinning, as will an HD rental from your Apple TV.

A new study suggests that attitude rather than availability may be the key reason why more Americans don't have high-speed Internet access. The findings from the Pew Internet and American Life Project challenge the argument that broadband providers need to more aggressively roll out supply to meet demand.

Only 14 percent of dial-up users say they're stuck with the older, slower connection technology because they can't get broadband in their neighborhoods, Pew reported Wednesday.

Sweden may be better known for cars and couches than computers, but when it comes to access to broadband and cellular networks, it's tops. The Scandinavian country leads the world in "technological readiness," according to the World Economic Forum.

On June 30, U.S. federal government officials expect to declare an early victory on the IPv6 front. But they admit that meeting their much-heralded June 30 deadline for IPv6 compatibility is just the opening salvo of a long-term battle to get their networks ready for the Internet of the future.

Usenet is one of the oldest repositories of information on the internet. In fact, it predates the internet as we know it. When you think of Usenet, you should generally think of mailing lists. Actually, you should think of a gargantuan network of mailing lists.

These mailing lists, or newsgroups in the Usenet community lingo, are contributed by thousands of internet users sharing ideas, news, files and pictures. Topics include those you can't find anywhere else on the mainstream web.

Are you fed up spending hours on hold to your broadband provider's overseas call centre every time you inexplicably lose your connection? A dongle could be the answer - and it could save you money too.

Dongles are plug-in-and-go devices that look like USB memory sticks and work like mini-modems. You can buy one from a mobile phone provider, slot it into the USB port on your laptop or computer and, after a few minutes of automatic configuration, you should be able to get high-speed mobile internet access at home and on the move via the 3G mobile network.

If you aren’t sure, you will soon be able to download a tool from Google that will tell you once and for all if they are. If ISP’s aren’t going to tell their users exactly what is happening with their network connections, Google wants to make sure that these people have the ability to tell for themselves. This announcement is Google’s most recent attempt at raising awareness about net neutrality.

Internet service providers should ask surfers' permission before using their traffic data for advertising purposes, according to the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT).

The US pressure group said that consumers should be able to say no to having their web traffic analysed to target specific adverts.

The comments were made as the Network Advertising Initiative updates its self-regulatory code of conduct for online behavioural advertising, taking into account input from outside organisations.