Collaboration Merrill Lynch estimates that by the end of last year, there were almost 40 million miles of fiber optic cable already in place in the U.S. alone, most of it still unlit. Whether you prefer to fly on Boeing or Airbus jetliners, by this time next year, on many flights you'll be able to get an Internet connection on the back of the seat in front of you that will be fed by either a broadband (Boeing) or a narrowband (Airbus) link that you can communicate in real time with the rest of the world through satellite. Talk about "instant messaging."