While the professors have made quite a stir in the press, Corning points out that the fiber produced by the professors has not come up to the quality of the existing Corning fiber--inferior in the important broad band qualities needed for carrying the varied communications of the future.

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Although the Ka-band service's 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won't have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get.

ENGADGET: Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps