radio-WAN

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> delivery systems. In the western states, and probably Alaska or Hawaii,
> there are many locations still not wired for POTS.  It is very expensive
> to extend phone service to these areas because population density is so
> low.  Do the wireless satellite systems represent a solution?
>
You are entirely correct -- POTS service in rural areas is not
complete.  Which is one of the reasons cellular is popular in
these areas.

A tech tutorial.  There are three sets of technology in this
area, two of which may be applicable to rural situations:
	- cellular telephone.  It wasn't long after a POTS-oriented
cellular provider made something available that folks started
plugging in modems and trying out their computers.  It works.
There are several flavors of cellular telephone with different
pricing structures, different coverage areas and different amenability
to use for data (for instance, FM cellular is best for bulk file
transfers; CDPD is better for small intermittent messages).  
In another couple of years, we should see the Big LEOs in operation
which will provide global cellular telephone coverage.  The drawback
is that all of these systems were designed with circuit-switching
voice applications in mind ... they're not very Internet savvy
(CDPD is an exception to this blanket indictment).  I just had
one of my classes set up Internet over American Mobile Satellite
Corp connectivity and they ran into the mindset in spades (the
report will be up on http://vislab-www.nps.navy.mil/~seanet in
a couple weeks; what's there now is a draft).
	- VSAT.  Very Small Aperture satellite comms.  This is 
the dish in the back yard aimed at a geosynchronous satellite.
You get a point-point connection to a switch somewhere and from
there out to the rest of either the voice network or the Internet.
Most of the vendors understand you when you say X.25.  
For rural schools without decent copper POTS, I'd suggest this
alternative as a WAN provider.  These companies
do not fall under the Act's umbrella of 'telecom provider' (what
we used to call common carrier) so I'm not sure the Act and
its supporting regulations can provide that kind of subsidy
(wish somebody versed in the legalese could answer that).
	- wireless LANs.  For completeness.  There are several
vendors providing wireless LAN equipmment.  But this is an
offset for your in-building or campus wiring, not the WAN.
Most of the vendors offer products that are essentially
ethernet, but with RF transmitters and receivers where the
copper or fiber drivers used to be.  

Rex Buddenberg

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