 |
 |
|
|
Strategic mobility principal Norman Harber moderated a lively panel discussion at the February meeting of the Atlanta Telecom Professionals (ATP). The panel included Matt Liotta, chief scientist at One Ring Networks, Paul Runcy, Americas director of sales for Soma Network, and Bill Billbrough, vice president of operations for Earthlink’s municipal networks division. The panel’s focus was wireless technology and whether it offered a competitive alternative to terrestrial last mile options.
“From the exchange among the panelists, it was pretty easy to tell that this is a highly competitive marketplace,” Harber says. “No technology stands out as the best option–even though most of the press and funding is going to WiMAX as an alternative to terrestrial last-mile service.”
Along with WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), companies are exploring Municipal WiFi and microwave/fiber hybrids. Earthlink’s Billbrough noted that his company is developing Municipal WiFi networks in a number of cities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New Orleans.
Questions from the audience covered a wide range of issues. Several participants wondered how these technologies would affect mobile workers, especially those with a need for high-speed access.
“That was one of the more curious things about the discussion,” Harber says. “There was lots of talk about access but little interest in security. This suggests to me that providers aren’t promoting security as an issue and that no one has a unique security solution for last-mile applications. It may become incumbent on device makers to build in security to protect users.”
Harber suspects security will gain traction as an issue as more companies begin exploring high-speed options for their mobile workers.