SpringerLink - Journal Article

Addressing universal-broadband-service implications with wireless mesh networks

Kevin P. Scheibe¹, Loren Paul Rees² and Terry R. Rakes²

(1)	Department of Logistics, Operations and Management Information Systems, College of Business, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

(2)	Department of Business Information Technology, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

Published online: 22 April 2009

Abstract Fueled by some successes in urban areas, demand is increasing for broadband telecommunications in non-urban areas, but many of the latter areas lack adequate means of delivering the desired services to residential customers and businesses—at least for the last mile of connectivity. This research examines wireless’s potential to mitigate the so-called “last-mile” problem by supplying broadband services to non-urban areas using a wireless mesh network configuration.

Methodologically, 270 randomly generated “last mile,” low-density neighborhoods are studied, each under nine different conditions indicating various quality-of-service (QoS) (bandwidth; number of hops) offerings. Results indicate that for the neighborhoods studied, wireless mesh networks are not a panacea providing broadband universally. Rather, it is first shown that even when bandwidth is reduced dramatically, Internet service providers must include in their planning of the mesh such factors as hops, bandwidth, visibility, network density, and interactions of these factors to ensure that favorable conditions exist for profitable operation. Then, guidelines are given assuming current equipment and service-provision costs. Finally, cost reductions and/or transmission-range improvements necessary to bring economic broadband service to areas that are more rural are prescribed.

Keywords Wireless mesh networks - Broadband wireless telecommunications - Network planning

Kevin P. Scheibe (Corresponding author)
Email: kscheibe@iastate.edu

Loren Paul Rees
Email: lrees@vt.edu

Terry R. Rakes
Email: trakes@vt.edu

Kevin P. Scheibe

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is an Assistant Professor in Logistics, Operations, and Management Information Systems in the College of Business at Iowa State University. He received his Ph.D. in Business Information Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His research interests include spatial decision support systems, wireless telecommunications, and heuristics. He has published in journals such as Decision Support Systems, Journal of Information Privacy and Security, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture and Computers in Human Behavior.

Loren Paul Rees

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is Andersen/Andersen Consulting Alumni Professor in Information for Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He was formerly a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories. His research interests include IT security, simulation optimization, wireless telecommunications, and software agents, and he has published in such journals as Decision Support Systems, Naval Research Logistics, Transportation Research, IIE Transactions, Decision Sciences, and others. He is a member of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, The Institute For Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and the Decision Sciences Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Terry R. Rakes

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is Houchens Professor of Information Technology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received the Ph.D. in Management Science, M.B.A., and B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His current research interests include wireless telecommunications and modeling telecommunications problems, decision making in e-commerce systems, issues in information technology security, and the application of decision support and artificial intelligence methodologies to problems in information systems. He has published in Management Science, Decision Sciences, Decision Support Systems, Annals of Operations Research, OMEGA, European Journal of OR, Operations Research Letters, Information and Management, Journal of Information Science, and others.

Addressing universal-broadband-service implications with wireless mesh networks

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