On Fri, Jun 06, 2003 at 01:41:29AM -0400, Dave Emery wrote:
Very little travels by microwave anymore in the CONUS either (maybe a couple of percent or less of wireline telephone calls do at any point, perhaps even less by now - mostly to backward places where stringing fiber is hard or uneconomical). Most of the old AT&T microwave towers that once dotted hilltops across the country have been shut down and sold to cell operators or even private citizens seeking a remote location for a cabin - and most of this shutdown happened by the late 80s in fact. Very very few of the towers still in existence transmit any traffic any more or ever could again.
Interesting, I wasn't aware those were deactivated. I wonder if tower space on them can be rented. OTOH, there are a lot of rural ISPs who are using wireless to provide net access to rural homes and businesses. Those old microwave towers would be great for that. -- Harmon Seaver CyberShamanix http://www.cybershamanix.com