Municipal City Wide Internet and Telecom/
Wireless Internet Service Providers

Municipal mesh networks allow the rapid deployment of wireless internet connectivity across an entire city. Wireless mesh networks provide a lower cost alternative to DSL and cable access enabling cities to provide an affordable last mile internet access solution. Wireless networks, unlike their wired alternatives, are omnipresent; blanketing cities with connectivity. Ubiquitous connectivity serves as a catalyst enabling new applications: automatic meter reading, mobile asset tracking, intelligent parking meters, first responder systems, internet access on buses and trains. Low cost wireless connectivity enables cities to help bridge the digital divide, extending connectivity into underserved neighborhoods, fostering economic development and providing equal opportunities throughout the municipality.

Constructing a mesh network which spans an entire municipality is a monumental endeavor and the selection of the correct hardware provider is critical in order to build a system that will provide the performance and scalability to meet both current and future demands. The Wave Relay™ system utilizes 4 radios in each router on different channels and frequencies in order to build a high performance scalable system which will deliver real capacity to end user applications. In the Wave Relay™ system all 4 radios participate in the mesh routing and forwarding, making Wave Relay™ a true quad radio mesh system.

Increased connectivity and routing options allow Wave Relay™ to achieve unprecedented levels of performance. Performance driven routing metrics allow Wave Relay™ to continuously optimize route selection in order to maximize system capacity. A Wave Relay™ Mesh CPE allows the mesh network to extend from the lamp posts all the way to the end user. As more users install Mesh CPE devices the interconnectivity continues to increase, providing increased performance as the network grows. From the quad radio high performance network core to the multi-hop mesh end user devices, Wave Relay™ provides the only mesh solution which truly delivers high performance connectivity all the way to the end user.

Minimizing the Number of Wired Connections:

Bandwidth like most commodities is significantly cheaper to buy in bulk. As a result, when designing a municipal network the most cost effective approach is to purchase a large quantity of bandwidth and to distribute access to the bandwidth over a large geographic area. Many municipalities have access to a fiber optic backbone network which can be used to extend access to multiple connection points around the city; however a scalable wireless system is still required in order to deliver the bandwidth to the end user. The Wave Relay™ system utilizes a quad radio architecture allowing the bandwidth to be distributed efficiently throughout a city.

Mobility:

Municipalities contain a massive number of mobile assets. In order to provide connectivity between mobile vehicles, the mesh networking system must be specifically designed for this application. When mesh routers are in motion, their connectivity to neighboring mesh routers is continuously changing. The routing subsystem must be scalable enough to operate when tens of thousands of connectivity changes are occurring per second. While most mesh systems claim to dynamically configure, there is a massive difference in capability between a system which configures automatically and a system which is able to maintain connectivity while under vehicular mobility. The Wave Relay™ system is specifically designed to maintain connectivity under high levels of mobility while remaining scalable. The Wave Relay™ system has been deployed on buses, unmanned aerial vehicles, and unmanned naval boats where its mobile capability was clearly demonstrated.