A communication system comprising: a communication network comprising: a first network comprising at least one of a backbone provider network and/or a local infrastructure provider network; a second network comprising a fixed hotspot access network (FHAN) comprising a plurality of FHAN access points that are at fixed locations and communicate in accordance with a communication protocol based on 802.1 lp; and a third network comprising a mobile hotspot access network (MHAN) comprising a plurality of MHAN access points that are mobile and operable to selectively communicate directly with each other, directly with the second network, and directly with the first network; and a first node and a second node, each of the first node and the second node operable in the communication network, wherein the communication system is adaptively configurable in real-time, in response to real-time changes in network conditions, to operate in any of a plurality of modes comprising: at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at least each of the first, second, and third networks; and at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at most two of the first, second, and third networks. a communication network comprising: a first network comprising at least one of a backbone provider network and/or a local infrastructure provider network; a second network comprising a fixed hotspot access network (FHAN) comprising a plurality of FHAN access points that are at fixed locations and communicate in accordance with a communication protocol based on 802.1 lp; and a third network comprising a mobile hotspot access network (MHAN) comprising a plurality of MHAN access points that are mobile and operable to selectively communicate directly with each other, directly with the second network, and directly with the first network; and a first network comprising at least one of a backbone provider network and/or a local infrastructure provider network; a second network comprising a fixed hotspot access network (FHAN) comprising a plurality of FHAN access points that are at fixed locations and communicate in accordance with a communication protocol based on 802.1 lp; and a third network comprising a mobile hotspot access network (MHAN) comprising a plurality of MHAN access points that are mobile and operable to selectively communicate directly with each other, directly with the second network, and directly with the first network; and a first node and a second node, each of the first node and the second node operable in the communication network, wherein the communication system is adaptively configurable in real-time, in response to real-time changes in network conditions, to operate in any of a plurality of modes comprising: at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at least each of the first, second, and third networks; and at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at most two of the first, second, and third networks. at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at least each of the first, second, and third networks; and at least one mode in which the first node and the second node communicate through at most two of the first, second, and third networks. <EOS>