 URL making a mesh on the move a new way to give us fast mobile net access spells further trouble for NUMBERg reports peter rojas peter rojas thursday august NUMBER NUMBER the guardian imagine being able to surf the net at speeds faster than dsl from anywhere at any time you could watch a live video webcast while waiting for the bus email photos to your friends while sitting in the park or download the mpNUMBER of the song that s playing in the pub before it finishes this is the vision of a high speed wireless internet paradise that the third generation NUMBERg mobile phone companies have been promoting for years NUMBERg services are just beginning to be rolled out but a new technology called mesh networking promises to deliver on this vision sooner and more effectively than the mobile phone companies could ever dream two companies us startup meshnetworks and moteran networks of germany are each developing their own competing version of mesh networking instead of the current hub and spoke model of wireless communications with every device connecting to an overburdened central antenna any time mesh enabled devices mobile phones pdas laptops are in close proximity to each other they automatically create a wireless mesh network every device in the area acts as a repeater or router relaying traffic for everyone else traffic hops from person to person until it reaches the nearest internet access point reducing the need for central antennas and improving wireless coverage as the number of mobile phones soars and wireless pdas laptops and other devices begin to crowd the spectrum this approach to wireless networking may be inevitable mesh networks also have several other advantages over NUMBERg wireless networks while NUMBERg operators roll out mobile services that offer users connection speeds of up to NUMBER kbps roughly three times faster than a dial up modem moteran and meshnetworks are able to offer connection speeds of up to NUMBERmbps over a hundred times faster than dial up the technologies they use include wi fi the emerging standard for high speed wireless networking also known as NUMBER NUMBERb a similarly short range protocol called ultrawideband which is poised to succeed wi fi is even faster and could by NUMBER approach NUMBER mbps the range of a typical wi fi network is generally too limited to be of much use when travelling around a city mesh networks get around the problem of coverage by having every device in the network relay traffic even though the range of any individual device is relatively small because in theory there will be so many users in the surrounding area connections will be faster and better than that of a standard NUMBERg wireless connection because mesh networks use wi fi the equipment and infrastructure needed to create them is cheap and readily available instead of building cellular phone towers that often cost hundreds of thousands of pounds all that is needed to get a network going are wireless access points around NUMBER now placed strategically around town to relay traffic and the proper software existing laptops and pdas can be mesh enabled by software it also means that anyone could set up their own mobile phone network unlike with NUMBERg cellular the part of the spectrum that wi fi operates on is unregulated in the us britain the mobile phone companies are none too pleased about this especially since many of them spent billions of pounds acquiring NUMBERg licences all that s needed are cheap relays and mobile phones equipped to connect to the network with every additional customer that signs up coverage gets better instead of getting worse as is the case with mobile phone networks but things get very interesting when you realise that when you have high speed internet connections everywhere and everyone s laptops pdas and mobile phones are connected together at blazingly fast speeds sharing music movies or whatever else becomes ridiculously easy when ultrawideband hits all of this will just accelerate at NUMBERmbps copying a pirated copy of the lord of the rings from the person sitting across from you at the cafe would take about NUMBER seconds sooner or later playgrounds will be filled with kids swapping files of their favourite songs movies and video games but the first mesh networks are not likely to be available to consumers meshnetworks has no plans to offer its own high speed wireless service instead the company plans to sell its technology to others such as cities that want to provide wireless internet to police fire and public works employees or businesses that want to establish wireless networks on the cheap moteran has similar aspirations for small businesses and for enterprise networks the first place average users may use the technology is when it is incorporated into vehicles enabling motorists to access the internet at high speeds which both companies see happening soon when will you be able to wander around town with a NUMBERmbps connection in your pocket it s too soon to say but just as broadband internet service was initially available only to businesses and universities eventually someone will see the profit in bringing mesh networking to the masses 