Saturday, November 04, 2006

Unstrung - Mesh Shakeout Looms



"Consolidation in the burgeoning municipal mesh sector is inevitable. The question is not if it will happen, but when and how. Vendors and analysts in the market all agree that, thanks to uncertain business models, a proliferation of startups, and the cost of deploying citywide networks, a shakeout is bound to occur in what is one of the hottest wireless markets around at the moment."

"I see this market quickly becoming a three-player race between Cisco, Motorola and Nortel," says Ben Gibson, director of mobility marketing at Cisco Systems Inc. "I believe that ultimately, Cisco's combination of WiFi, breadth of outdoor wireless portfolio and IP market leadership will carry the day."[Ed. note: Betcha didn't expect to hear that.]


Notes: Look for rapid consolidation in the next 12-24 months. MOT acquired Mesh Networks in 2004 and there has been recent m&a activity on the cellular/RF subsystem side - Andrew's purchase of antenna maker, EMS Wirelss for $50m; Powerwave's acquisition of Filtronic's wireless infrastructure division.

Executives at two of the leading startups in the marketplace -- Strix Systems Inc. and Tropos Networks Inc. -- also agree that consolidation is coming, but both expect to come out on top.

Other related articles:

BelAir And Siemens Partner On Broadband Wireless Mesh And WiMAX
Year-Long Trial of Nortel Municipal Wireless Mesh Network Part of ...
CUWiN: Wirelessing the Revolution with Open Source Mesh Wireless ...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ben Gibson...hmmm...stellar record, 3 Month in this start-up / 3 month in that start-up... a always back to the safety of Cisco...hardly an authority for industry developments