Press Releases
SkyPilot Named Technology Market Leader in Municipal Wi-Fi Mesh Networking
New Yankee Group Report Positions SkyPilot Networks as "Greatest Technical Versatility" Vendor for Metro-scale, Municipal Wi-Fi Mesh Networks
Vienna, Austria, May 23, 2006 - SkyPilot Networks,
the leading provider of carrier-class broadband wireless
mesh networks, today announced it has been ranked by
Yankee Group as a leader in Technical Versatility among
Wi-Fi mesh vendors. In its February 2006 report titled
"Myths and
Realities of Wi-Fi Mesh Networking," Yankee Group
compares SkyPilot's solution to other mesh networking
vendors, including Tropos, Cisco, Motorola, Nortel,
Strix, and BelAir.
Wireless mesh infrastructure has become a cost-effective way for service providers and municipalities to rapidly and cost-effectively deliver broadband access for public Wi-Fi HotZones, localized content, community services, and public safety applications. "Mesh networking addresses two issues that are critical in rendering metropolitan-wide Wi-Fi deployments practical: covering a large area (relative to conventional Wi-Fi) with each access point and providing cost-effective backhaul using the wireless meshing techniques," said Roberta Wiggins, Wireless/Mobile Technologies Research Fellow at the Yankee Group. "SkyPilot's architecture has several differentiating characteristics that can take scalability and performance to the next level. Unlike its competitors, it uses synchronous protocols to create a 5 GHz directional and deterministic mesh with integrated backhaul. The synchronous design could also enable an easier migration path to WiMAX mesh networking."
In addition to serving a municipality's needs for Wi-Fi
public access, SkyPilot also offers U.S. licensed 4.9
GHz products that address their public safety requirements.
The SkyExtender DualBand offers a cost-effective means
to deploy ubiquitous, multi-frequency coverage by integrating
802.11b/g access point functionality with long-range
4.9 or 5 GHz mesh backhaul, thereby boosting network
capacity and providing a multi-use network. SkyPilot
has been deployed in over 40 countries by 200 service
providers. This includes a leading domestic customer,
Mountain View, CA-based MetroFi, which has built municipal
Wi-Fi mesh
networks in Aurora, IL, Portland, OR and Silicon Valley,
CA.
Next Generation Mesh Architecture for Metro-Scale Networks
The SkyPilot system enables customers to quickly and
flexibly deploy and manage a wireless mesh network.
In order to consistently deliver high performance and
low latency throughput for voice and data services,
SkyPilot combines an intelligent, high-power antenna
array with an enhanced synchronous WiMAX-like protocol
and GPS coordination, to provide system-wide link management,
mesh routing, quality of service (QoS) and sophisticated
networking features. By combining these technologies,
SkyPilot meets the needs of large-scale, multi- service
wireless
municipal networks now being deployed.
Yankee Group noted these same requirements in its report with the observation that ".today's multi-radio systems more closely match the requirements laid out in recent municipal proposals." The report goes on to cite other advantages of third-generation solutions, including more modular designs based on open standards, increased mitigation of interference in the unlicensed spectrums, and utilization of the U.S. licensed 4.9 GHz spectrum for access/backhaul in public safety applications. The result is greater flexibility, reliability, scalability and upgradeability over previous generations of mesh technology, according to Yankee Group.
“"Being recognized by Yankee Group as a technology leader in Wi-Fi mesh networking is a considerable achievement," commented Bob Machlin, president and CEO of SkyPilot. "This supports SkyPilot's technology advantage in providing multi-use, metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh networks - with the highest performance, reliability and security customers expect."
Download a complimentary copy of the full Yankee Group report here.
About SkyPilot Networks
SkyPilot Networks is the leading provider
of carrier-class wireless broadband mesh networks that
enable service providers and municipalities to rapidly
deploy cost-effective broadband Internet access, voice
over IP, public access Wi-Fi service , and video surveillance.
The SkyPilot solution offers quick time-to-revenue and
a compelling return-on-investment by extending reach,
routing around obstacles, and increasing deployment
flexibility, thereby dramatically reducing equipment
and operating costs. The SkyPilot products provide a
highly scalable and reliable wireless mesh backhaul
with a choice of CPE or Wi-Fi access. SkyPilot is a
principal member of the WiMAX Forum™ and a privately
held company based in Santa Clara , California. For
more information on SkyPilot and its solutions, contact
pr@skypilot.com
or visit http://www.skypilot.com.
