VoIP breakthrough claimed for mesh broadband

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 23:06:41 -0700
From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>

VoIP breakthrough claimed for mesh broadband
Graeme Wearden
ZDNet UK
April 14, 2004, 14:35 BST
Story URL:
<http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/wireless/ 0,39020348,39151531,00.htm>

Wireless broadband pioneer LocustWorld has added support for Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP) to its range of mesh networking equipment.

 The move turns LocustWorld's mesh boxes, which link together to form a
wireless network, into Voice over IP (VoIP) switches. This means that
people who use a wireless network that runs on LocustWorld's mesh
software will be able to make voice calls over the Internet, rather
than using their existing landline.

 Everyone connected to the same mesh will be able to call each other
for free using VoIP. They will also be able to use the same telephone
number regardless of where on the mesh they are connected.

 SIP was introduced by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a
way of simplifying the process of running VoIP connections across the
Internet. Networks running SIP can handle VoIP calls regardless of
which vendor created the handsets or soft phones.

 "Being able to support SIP routing within the LocustWorld mesh adds a
new dimension of utility to the network, allowing users to utilise
industry standard IP telephony services over a wide coverage area. The
mesh network can now also be a large scale wireless phone network,"
said LocustWorld's Jon Anderson.

 Supporters of SIP say that it will let service providers transform
their traditional revenue streams by offering IP-based services that
combine elements such as telephony, email, instant messaging, and video
streaming.

 According to LocustWorld, there are now plenty of affordable SIP
phones, both hardware and software, on the market, with more large
telcos offering gateways between SIP and their PSTN networks.

 LocustWorld first hit the headlines in 2003 after Anderson wrote a
piece of software called the MeshAP that configures a group of wireless
access points into a coherent mesh where data is passed from node to
node until it reaches its destination.

 MeshAP is freely available to download from the LocustWorld site. The
company also sells meshboxes; small fanless PCs that run the MeshAP
software and act as nodes on the mesh.

 These meshboxes are now being deployed worldwide, from Scotland and
Yorkshire to the Washington State and the Gulf Coast of Florida,
LocustWorld says. In many cases, community activists are using them to
bring high-speed connectivity to areas where ADSL and cable broadband
aren't available.

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