MESH Networking: ABI Research Tells a Tale of Two Continents

ABI: It's still early days for mesh, particularly when it comes to cable MSO involvement, but there are good reasons for MSOs to get involved. We have seen indications that MSO trials are under way, and real deployments may begin sometime in the next 12 to 18 months. In Europe, a different picture is emerging. Underlying conditions in Western Europe (relatively easier access for competitive service providers to incumbents' networks and more advanced 3G deployments) do not bode as well for mesh networking in the region, compared to North America or Asia-Pacific. But there have been some interesting developments lately, which are quite different from those in North America or Asia-Pacific. US-based equipment vendor Firetide, together with wireless switch vendor and VoIP specialist Meru Networks, will work with Spanish wireless hotspot operator AWA to extend Wi-Fi hotspot coverage by means of additional mesh networks. And in the UK, a hotspot provider called The Cloud has announced that it will collaborate with Tropos, to use mesh networks to extend the range of hotspots in the UK and on the continent. It's not quite the same as the metropolitan mesh networks that are developing in the United States. There's no attempt to blanket an entire urban area. Rather, they're using mesh technology to expand the coverage area in specific locations: hotels, cafes, service stations, and limited downtown hotzones. While more of a 'campus-scale' effort, he advises, it is a valid and cost-effective model, and with thousands of hotspots around the EU, it could be a significant opportunity. Wireless Mesh Networking Publ 20060202