Long-distance connection technologies refer to the continually evolving suite of technologies that allow users to connect to the Internet or their corporate WANs (Wide-Area Networks) or LANs (Local-Area Networks) remotely and across large distances. Technically, access describes the transport connection between service providers (whether telephone company, cable, satellite, or wireless) and customer premises. Long-distance access options today include T1 and T3 connections, ISDN, SONET and other fibre-optic connection technologies, DSL and cable modem connections, Frame Relay, ATM, satellite, and wireless access. The speed at which connection technologies have expanded from analog modems introduced in the 1960s, to fiber-optic connections and DSL in the 1990s, to satellite and wireless in the 2000s, is linked to the exponential growth of the Internet and the explosion of multimedia applications of diverse scope on the World Wide Web. Increasingly connection technologies offer broadband capabilities and high-speed access, which...