Wireless Broadband in Lebanon
Beit Meri, Lebanon

I just wanted to take a moment to share the interesting (wireless) way my host is connecting to the Internet from his home.

Based on the extensive coverage map the company (WISE) is displaying on their Web site, it looks very likely that the provider is tapping into the cellular phone network's high-speed 3G service. But, unlike the same setup seen recently in Syria (that uses a little USB dongle modem), this one sports a massive modem/receiver (pictured below).

My host positions his modem under a large plastic bucket on the roof of his home (for better reception), running a long Ethernet cable down into the living space for the connection. He leaves most of the setup in place when he spends the weekend out of his home, taking the modem and an extra power supply with him for use with his laptop most any place he gets cell phone service.

Currently he's paying US$50/month for 2GB of combined up/downstream bandwidth.