October 24, 2006
Lamp posts may be the key to low-cost metropolitan telephony
Deployment of Wi-Fi and WiMax metropolitan networks could pave the way for a new breed of telephony services, argues Richard Bennett, corporate development officer at global VoIP company Coms. Netimperative reports.
... "There is no doubt that a new industry segment - voice over wireless local area networks (VoWLAN) - is coming and that low-cost Internet telephony will threaten the revenues of mobile operators.
Already, anyone with a suitably equipped computer that is connected to the Internet, or a home phone connected via a terminal adapter, can make low-cost calls. In fact, any authorised Wi-Fi hotspot, be it at home, at the office or at a coffee shop, can be used to make VoIP calls.
... Many local councils will be outsourcing their street lighting as part of the Government's private finance initiatives. Lamp posts are conveniently spaced out through cities. They have a power supply and sufficient height to make them perfect mounting locations for Wi-Fi aerials. Mesh all these lamp posts together and it would be possible to create a wireless metropolitan or WiMAx network."
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