Skycoin recently released the fantastic long-form article ‘Net Neutrality and the Tyranny of the ISPs’.  It examines the problems of ISP monopoly in the USA and Kenya, where a lack of competition is creating fertile ground for the rise of community-run wireless ISPs (wISPs) and Mesh networks that will dis-intermediate traditional cable and cellular companies. 

The article was posted on influential Mesh net subreddit r/darknetplan.  The lead developer of Mesh network project and Skywire competitor Althea commented on the article. 

*the article was updated in response to additional comments from u/RusticScentedMale after the article was published.  See bottom of the article. 

u/RusticScentedMale:

‘Currently, the Skywire software is just a basic web proxy on a Raspberry Pi.  There isn’t much having to do with real-world routing, and the people using it plug it straight into their Comcast or AT&T connections.  Even if you think that in the long run Skycoin will be far superior, our software may be an interesting preview of what the future will hold.  Here’s the bandwidth metering code that is running on a couple real networks that people use for their real internet access: https://github.com/althea-mesh/althea_rs/tree/master/rita/src/rita_common/debt_keeper

Althea are making headway into the creation of decentralized ISPs with two current active pilot projects, one in Oregon, USA and in Medellin, Colombia.  They have a head start on the Skywire physical network, which is currently prototyping hardware for production and open-sourcing to the DIY community. 

The Althea meshnet being built out in Medellin, Colombia. 

When prompted for comment on Althea, Synth gave the following response:

Althea is interesting but won’t work, because of the networking protocol.  Especially [the] payments and routing side.  And when[the] network has to deal with malicious users (which will happen immediately when there is a financial incentive).  There will be ten protocols but only one or two will survive.  Althea uses price aware routing too.  Which will be gamed to death.  And they do not have their own blockchain.  Nor can blockchain scale to handle the number of transactions/second required for an actual network.  And Althea does not have own network name space.  Its still some weird IP address based thing.  Where as we already proved that all methods of stateless routing cannot work for actual meshnet. 

u/RusticScentedMale replied:

Is there a version of SkyWire on github which isn’t just an http proxy?  Some reasonable criticisms though.  Lying about route metrics is a concern, but routers will do speed tests to detect it.  Our system leans heavily on local subnet DAOs to kick malicious nodes off and keep things working.  See Althea.org/whitepaper#governance Strange comment about IP addresses though.  There is so much to do to make decentralized ISP work, that we can’t waste time reinventing the wheel.  IP is a great system that is highly optimized on billions of devices. 

Synth again:

We proved mathematically that stateless routing cannot work.  And IP based systems are stateless routing.  The address of device also needs to be divorced from location or where its plugged in and local connection topology.  IP addresses are not pub(lic)keys either and there is no real solution for encryption or authentication for IP addresses.  The whole current internet needs to be dumped. 

Synth’s criticism refers to key deficiencies in Althea’s proposed solution to payment problem, and the fact that most of the Althea networking protocol is based on legacy features of current internet networking protocols that have been found wanting along a number of technical lines. 

Synth then justifies various technical and routing features of Skywire, which is embedded within the Skycoin blockchain ecosystem:

So we created a new network name space and got rid of stateless routing. -  Skycoin is combination of - new blockchain [Skycoin] - new consensus protocol [Obelisk] - new language for blockchain development [CX] - new network name space - new networking protocol [Skywire] - new routing algorithm - new method of bandwidth metering - new method of resolving debits and credits off blockchain at a high rate [Coin hours] - new hardware for enabling the network physically [Skyminer, SKY WiFi antennas, radio nodes] What they are doing is just a toy or a demo.  Of just routing and payments.  But none of the rest (which is required).  And Skywire is not just a network proxy.  The network proxy will run over Skywire.  Which is a new networking protocol and name space.  Network proxy was just the testnet. 

Synth saw the above features of the Skycoin ecosystem as necessary to build a globally-scalable, fully functioning decentralized internet protocol.  Without them, the potential for mass-adoption is greatly diminished. 

Other deficiencies of Althea

Networking protocol aside, the Althea project lacks several other key features of the new internet — encryption and its own blockchain-based payment mechanism. 

Without encryption, problems like dragnet surveillance, deep packet inspection throttling and Cyberbalkanization cannot be solved as traffic will simple be re-directed, intercepted or co-opted in some other way. 

Without a seamlessly integrated payment coin that generates external demand, there will be no truly scalable demand for Althea’s token —hindering its potential for global expansion. 

It is understandable why Althea doesn’t have their own blockchain — it requires a completely different form of networking and programming knowledge, specifically surrounding cryptography and game theory. 

Skycoin Mesh net hardware.  The Skycoin miner (background) connects to a wireless signal broadcaster such as a motorized WiFi antenna or long-range radio node and processes bandwidth on Skywire, earning Skycoin tokens. 

The symbiotic relationship of Skycoin and Skywire

Synth and the Skycoin developers are among a very select few who are able to understand and code two different types of distributed systems (blockchain-based cryptocurrency & new networking protocol), and enable them to cohesively integrate into a single united ecosystem. 

Only by adding decades of experience in tech start ups are they able to further add the ability to manufacture the needed hardware for a completely integrated system (hardware wallets, Skyminers, antennas).  The Skyminer computing unit is at the core of the Skywire roll-out of physical infrastructure. 

The fascinating aspect of the Skycoin/Skywire Mesh net plan is that Skywire forms just a single component (albeit vital) component of the Skycoin vision of mass adoption of cryptocurrencies.  This massively ambitious plan seems to have been at least a decade in the making, and is coming to fruition slowly with advances in technology and manufacturing. 

However, the greatest incentive to run Skywire instead of Althea (or other competitors) is Skycoin.  Wireless ISPs using the Skywire protocol will earn Skycoin Coin hours, that will be able to be seamlessly converted into Skycoin, a decentralized cryptocurrency with a fixed, long term deflationary monetary policy.  From there, Skycoin can be stored as an inflation-resistant crypto-asset, traded for Bitcoin on the SKY decentralized exchange or spent within the Skycoin ecosystem on purchasing more antennas and networking equipment directly in Skycoin from the Skycoin store.  These will be just some of the possibilities within the Skycoin ecosystem. 

May the best Mesh network win

Soon wireless antennas and networking equipment will be erected on the sides of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, on hills in rural Mozambique, above the cobblestone streets of London, in the sleepy suburbs of midwest America, and the organized chaos of Ho Chi Minh City. 

Althea is doing a fantastic job.  They are troubleshooting vital logistical and real-world problems in the roll-out of the physical infrastructure of Mesh networks and decentralized ISPs.  Skywire will undoubtedly benefit from the lessons learned by Althea and other competitors.  I wish Althea all best — as it shares a common goal with Skywire of empowering the people with affordable internet access. 

However, it is clear that on a fundamental design level, Althea lacks the features that Skywire possesses in the race to become the dominant global Mesh networking protocol.