Free Internet is popular with troops

A pair of Internet cafes serving 15,000 U.S. troops in Iraq saw their typical usage double when the service provider waived fees for the July 4 holiday, increasing to about 4,100 log-ins on Independence Day. The two CamoCafes were established about a year ago by Arkel International of Baton Rouge, La., a logistics, construction and support contractor operating in Iraq. They have 80 desktop PC kiosks and also support wireless access for laptops. Arkel has the contract with the bases to provide the service and Single Digits Inc. of Manchester, N.H., provides the infrastructure and technical support. Single Digits provides WiFi wireless access in the cafes, a 6-Mbps satellite Internet link, together with authentication, accounting, remote monitoring and security and 24-by-7 support services. It also designed, configured and... [read full story]