Laptop users will soon be able to use their home Internet connection in the
pub, thanks to BT and Sagem of France. The companies are set to launch a
£250 system that uses the DECT cordless phone standard to fool a laptop
into thinking it’s plugged into a home phone line. The laptop could be in the
garden or a pub up to 300 metres away. The On-Air base station has a built-in
56K modem and brings together the channels normally used by three voice calls to
create a 72K data channel. The transceiver plugs into a USB port.
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