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Imagine being able to download a full high-def DVD in two seconds, or having the bandwidth to watch a staggering 1500 HD channels simultaneously.
Sweden's Sigbritt Lothberg became the luckiest internet user in the world last year, when fibre network specialists Karlstad Stadsnat installed a 40 gigabit per second connection in her home.
But the 75-year-old didn't use it for hauling down movies, building the world's biggest MP3 collection or even a bit of WoW gaming.
Spokesman Hafsteinn Jonsson said that Lothberg - the only 'home user' to experience such incredible line-speed - used the massive router for her washing.
"She mostly used it to dry her laundry," he told Swedish website The Local.
"It was a big bit of gear and it got pretty warm."
Her son, optical internet guru Peter Lothberg was responsible for the ultra-fast connection, installing a four-slot Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System as part of an experiment to prove how cheap, high capacity fibre optic could run effectively over long distances.
Lothberg's pioneering modulation method transfers data directly between routers up to 2000kms apart, with no transponders between, and without loss.
The equipment has now been moved to Lulea in Sweden's north for further testing, said The Local, but Mrs Lothberg still has an impressive 10Gbp/s connection.
"We're considering giving her a 100 gigabits per second connection in the summer," Jonsson told the website. "Then she'll be able to dry all her neighbours' laundry too."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
