Free FIBER For Swiss Schools – WiFi Warnings
October 21, 2010. While the rest of the world rushes onwards with the wireless revolution, Switzerland – the country that invented the World Wide Web – and the largest telecom provider – SWISSCOM which is owned (52%) by the Swiss government – have decided to light up the public school’s wired networks using fiber optics FOR FREE!
But there is one catch – the schools must use LAN – local area network with at least four connected PCs and the speed of the connection will be assigned in accordance with the number of computers linked to the school’s LAN. Specifically, the Swisscom application documentation states that the schools pay for the internal wiring and connect their devices (PC, printer) via an Ethernet LAN/10BaseT/RJ45 and then connect it to a Swisscom AG’s CISCO router on site. Swisscom then brings the fiber optic connection to the school.
Switzerland has always had free internet access and schools could use WiFi if they wanted to. But to get the efficiency from Fiber Optics, you need to use a wired LAN internet connection to get the benefit of the high bandwidth that fiber offers when hundreds of computers are streaming video at the same time. With the Internet For Schools program – the more computers that you have on your wired LAN the higher the bandwidth they provide. It’s an incentive to go wired.
Click here to read more about Swisscom’s offer for Free Internet in Schools.
Most schools in North America are opting for a total WiFI wireless local area network (WLAN) that allows computers and laptops to be connected to each other without wires. But the Swiss and German governments prefers – LAN – wired networks that do not emit microwave radiation.
For example, on their public health website, they specifically warn about the dangers of WiFi:
“Only switch your WLAN (WiFi) on when you need it. With laptops, in particular, it is a good idea to switch the WLAN (WiFi) off as otherwise the device will repeatedly try to connect to a network, leading to unnecessary radiation…and caution should be exercised primarily when using devices held close to the body, such as laptops, PDAs and Internet telephones”.
To help you understand the reasoning why Switzerland prefers LAN over WiFi (wireless internet), we have produced a short video that will provide some insight as to why the Swiss government is so forward thinking in matters related to the children’s health and education when it involves internet access.
After you watch the video – explore the links to the Swiss Office of Public Health website. No need to read between the lines, just pay attention to the bold text.
If WiFi WAS BAD – WHY DON”T THEY TELL US?
So – why the WiFI warnings? Could it be that there are health problems related to the technology? Judging by the warnings from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) website, it seems that the Swiss health officials might have some insider information – possibly from the World Health Organization that is also based in Switzerland. The WHO is the clearing house for microwave research – right? If the WHO’s scientists, who live and work in Switzerland, find something is wrong, they will surely want to tell their own citizens and protect their family and children – right? Is this the reason why they have one of the better microwave safety standards in the world?
SHOW ME THE PROOF
Critics who say there is no proof that low level non-ionizing microwave radiation is harmful only need to look to Swisscom, the government owned telecommunications provider that applied for a patent for a method to completely eliminate the radiation caused by the WiFi base station when not in use.
Click HERE to download the patent and related materials.
Swisscom promotes the methods described in this patent to offer low/no radiation cordless phones for their customers. Click HERE to read about these ECO-DECT cordless phones from their website.
But here is the most revealing part of the patent application. Swisscom, documented that the radiation was harmful by including studies conducted by scientists at the World Health Organization! A well informed public was also very vocal about microwave radiation. The Swiss government has enacted some of the world strictest radiation guidelines. These new laws for limits were not welcomed by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum and they still complain that it limits their ability to do business in Switzerland.
Click here to read The Switzerland EMF Policy and Facts from the MMF (Mobile Manufactures Forum.)
So, next time someone in the wireless industry points to the World Health Organization to say there is no proof of harm from electromagnetic radiation – you might want to offer them a clue and point them to the “Real World” Health Organization and the Swisscom patents.
And for those of you who like cartoons – in the Simpsons you will often hear “Won’t somebody please think of the children!” If you use a baby monitor, you will want to read this page on the Swiss Public Health website. The VOICE ACTIVATED baby monitors that they describe are not commonly found in stores in North America.
Thank you Switzerland for the English translations of your website. Our crew loved filming in your country and I highly recommend your country as a vacation destination or even as a second home.