Thanks Slashdot for this neat story... The biggest problem with getting connectivity has always been the "last mile", but according to Cisco, this will become a dead issue, with the release of information on their LRE (Long Reach Ethernet) project.
Thanks to a new innovation by Cisco Systems, things like high-speed Internet access, video streaming and IP Telephony are going places they previously couldn't. Hugh Barrass, Technical Leader, and his team of engineers at Cisco created the Cisco Long-Reach Ethernet (LRE) broadband networking solution—the industry's first end-to-end product line for delivering 5-15 Mbps performance over existing Category 1/2/3 wiring. With Ethernet-like performance that reaches up to 5,000 feet, LRE enables simultaneous voice, video and data applications without the need to rewire.
"If you consider the fact that most buildings are wired for voice not data, the market opportunity for LRE is quite vast" said Barrass. "By offering Ethernet-like speeds over regular phone wire, at reaches up to 5,000 feet, and co-existing with phone traffic, LRE brings rich, advanced services such as next generation video-on-demand to places it has not gone before."
The video in the Cisco article has some interesting features. The presenter downloads/views internet content over 4000ft of telephone wire, then ends up using some "barbed wire" just for good measure!!!
News source: Cisco - The Innovation of Long-Reach Ethernet
