Thursday, December 28, 2006

Economics, Politics, Wireless Spectrum....and You

On the same Wavelength
Aug 12th 2004

Most people do not worry much about physics or politics when, for example, they look at the colours of a rainbow. Nor do they pause much when they use a remote control for their TV set, talk on a mobile phone, listen to the radio, cook food in their microwave oven, open their car door from a distance, or surf the internet without wires. Yet these are all phenomena of electromagnetic radiation. How humans harness electromagnetic waves — and specifically those in the radio-frequency part of the spectrum — has become so important that old and new ways of thinking are now lining up for a tense confrontation that will affect numerous businesses and billions of consumers.

Full text:
http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3084475

NR

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