Mesh net brings new broadband options to Tempe

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JOANIE WEXLER ON WIRELESS IN THE
ENTERPRISE
08/24/05
Today's focus: Mesh net brings new broadband options to Tempe

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Another municipality gets creative
* Links related to Wireless in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Mesh net brings new broadband options to Tempe

By Joanie Wexler

Starting next month, certain businesses and residences in Tempe,
Ariz., will have both fixed and mobile broadband services
available to them from a common Wi-Fi mesh network
infrastructure.

The city is having the network installed in part to support all
mobile municipal personnel (police, fire and water department
workers and building inspectors) with broadband at vehicular
speeds, says Dave Heck, deputy CIO for the city.

But Tempe has also licensed the network to a wholesale service
provider so commercial services can be provided citywide.
Businesses, for example, will have a wireless T-1 alternative
with mobility tagged on as an extra throughout the
40-square-mile Tempe area for about 20% less than the cost of a
terrestrial T-1 in the area today, says Bruce Sanguinetti,
president and CEO of NeoReach Wireless, the company that won the
Tempe wholesale bid.

In September, NeoReach will begin bringing up Tempe's six zones
over a six-month period. The entire city should be covered by
February.

The Wi-Fi mesh infrastructure, manufactured by Strix Systems,
will comprise 400 access points used for both backhaul and
access, says Sanguinetti. Strix's routing algorithm supports
handoffs among APs at vehicular speeds up to 180 MPH, he says.

Heck adds that many emergency responders' laptops will be
outfitted with PadCom client software to facilitate roaming
among the Wi-Fi network and older, lower-speed public safety
networks.

There will be six points of OC-3 ingress connected to 802.11a
access points with single or double radios for backhaul within
dense populations. There is a 4.9-MHz slot in the Strix mesh
devices to support WiMAX at the outer edges; WiMAX will
eventually be used to connect pockets of dense populations
across the county.

"We specified mesh for within city limits, because it is the
only metro-scale technology available today," says Heck. "WiMAX
provides longer range, but doesn't offer good end-user
availability. If you install a base station on a street light,
it's good for reaching 10 miles out, but not for supporting a
user who's right near it."

The Tempe deployment is the latest in a series of municipal
rollouts aimed, at least in part, to provide broadband
competition when incumbents haven't stepped up to the plate with
creative new services. Some deployments have resulted in
litigation by incumbents. Heck says he doesn't expect any flak,
because the city isn't assuming the role of commercial network
operator, and the project was put out for competitive bid.

Sanguinetti adds that incumbent cable operator Cox will likely
team with NeoReach to add mobility services to its cable-based
broadband services.

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_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Joanie Wexler

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology
writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most
of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer
networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles
published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future
article topics. Reach her at <mailto:joanie@jwexler.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by AirMagnet
CONTROL YOUR WI-FI SPECTRUM AND SAVE $500

The AirMagnet (R) Spectrum Analyzer proactively identifies,
classifies, graphs and finds sources of RF interference in all
Wi-Fi bands. With AirMagnet, you can detect and identify
specific interfering devices and pinpoint the location of
problematic wireless devices.

Receive $500 off any purchase of BOTH an AirMagnet Spectrum
Analyzer and any other mobile product.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=110858
_______________________________________________________________
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