Mesh in Malaysia - A Wireless Renaissance
The birth of the Internet has been interpreted by many as a revolution. The arrival of 802.11 technology (Wi-Fi) a few years ago (in the shape of Apple Computer's Airport base station) seemed harmless enough. After all, the performance of 802.11b technology wasn't all that crash hot, range of 150-200 feet max, no big deal.
The big deal is that we are now most certainly in the age of a grassroots revolution in wireless communications, especially for data. Its already happening in cities and countries around the world where one can roam around a certain geographical area free from wires and still access the Ethernet (and therefore, the Internet) at high-speeds. These Wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) are only one part of how Wi-Fi can be used. The emergence of mesh-wireless networking technologies lie in the ability of mesh networks to string together many such LANs and build a wide-area network, just like the Internet was built in its early days. The difference: this one needs no wires, giving end users complete freedom and mobility. Since it uses open spectrum, this also means the costs involved in building this out are very low.
Which is why it might be more useful for Malaysia to understand this “wireless revolution” as an opportunity for renaissance: a moment when we have the ability to step out of the story altogether.
Renaissances are historical instances of widespread re-contextualisation, where communities in a variety of different arts, philosophies and sciences have the ability to reframe their reality. Renaissance literally means ‘rebirth’. It is the rebirth of old ideas in a new context whereas a “revolution” denotes going around in a circle or replacing a story with another. Take a look back at what we think of as the original Renaissance, the one we were taught in school. Most of the main features of the Renaissance involved shifts in perspective.
Circumnavigation of the globe altered our understanding and interpretation of the relationship between the planet we live on and the maps we used to describe it. The maps still worked, they just described a globe instead of a plane. Anyone hoping to navigate a course had to be able to relate a two-dimensional map to the new reality of a three-dimensional planet.
Similarly, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) was Malaysia’s map towards a gleaming future in which the nation attains developed nation status. The MSC was conceptualized back in 1996 as “Malaysia’s most exciting initiative for the global information and communication technology (ICT) industry”. Nearly a decade has passed, yet the MSC remains a dedicated 15 X 50 km Corridor in West Malaysia stretching from the Petronas Twin Towers in the north to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the south.
It is time to re-group and re-evaluate this eight-year old idea/concept. The wireless revolution offers a very real possibility for the MSC map to encompass a new reality: one which encompasses and involve each and every citizen of Malaysia, especially communities in rural or underserved areas, to participate and realize the aim of our national MSC roadmap. It is time to extend the MSC beyond a myopic “15 x 50 km Corridor” definition and jumpstart Malaysia’s Wireless Renaissance.
It is time to unwire the MSC.
The Unlicensed World of Wireless
Unlicensed wireless is far more than WiFi. Dynamic techniques for efficient sharing of the spectrum, combined with the open field for unlicensed innovation are creating an explosion of new systems,techniques, and business models.
An important point here is that unlicensed does not mean unregulated. In the 2.4 GHz band, for example, the FCC mandates power limits and other technical requirements. New kinds of equipment that use different techniques than those already licensed must receive direct FCC approval.
The 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band is open solely for unlicensed use. No devices that operate in that band—which range from the WiFi access points to microwave ovens and cordless phones—can claim protection against interference from other approved devices in the band.
The big deal is that we are now most certainly in the age of a grassroots revolution in wireless communications, especially for data. Its already happening in cities and countries around the world where one can roam around a certain geographical area free from wires and still access the Ethernet (and therefore, the Internet) at high-speeds. These Wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) are only one part of how Wi-Fi can be used. The emergence of mesh-wireless networking technologies lie in the ability of mesh networks to string together many such LANs and build a wide-area network, just like the Internet was built in its early days. The difference: this one needs no wires, giving end users complete freedom and mobility. Since it uses open spectrum, this also means the costs involved in building this out are very low.
Which is why it might be more useful for Malaysia to understand this “wireless revolution” as an opportunity for renaissance: a moment when we have the ability to step out of the story altogether.
Renaissances are historical instances of widespread re-contextualisation, where communities in a variety of different arts, philosophies and sciences have the ability to reframe their reality. Renaissance literally means ‘rebirth’. It is the rebirth of old ideas in a new context whereas a “revolution” denotes going around in a circle or replacing a story with another. Take a look back at what we think of as the original Renaissance, the one we were taught in school. Most of the main features of the Renaissance involved shifts in perspective.
Circumnavigation of the globe altered our understanding and interpretation of the relationship between the planet we live on and the maps we used to describe it. The maps still worked, they just described a globe instead of a plane. Anyone hoping to navigate a course had to be able to relate a two-dimensional map to the new reality of a three-dimensional planet.
Similarly, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) was Malaysia’s map towards a gleaming future in which the nation attains developed nation status. The MSC was conceptualized back in 1996 as “Malaysia’s most exciting initiative for the global information and communication technology (ICT) industry”. Nearly a decade has passed, yet the MSC remains a dedicated 15 X 50 km Corridor in West Malaysia stretching from the Petronas Twin Towers in the north to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the south.
It is time to re-group and re-evaluate this eight-year old idea/concept. The wireless revolution offers a very real possibility for the MSC map to encompass a new reality: one which encompasses and involve each and every citizen of Malaysia, especially communities in rural or underserved areas, to participate and realize the aim of our national MSC roadmap. It is time to extend the MSC beyond a myopic “15 x 50 km Corridor” definition and jumpstart Malaysia’s Wireless Renaissance.
It is time to unwire the MSC.
The Unlicensed World of Wireless
Unlicensed wireless is far more than WiFi. Dynamic techniques for efficient sharing of the spectrum, combined with the open field for unlicensed innovation are creating an explosion of new systems,techniques, and business models.
An important point here is that unlicensed does not mean unregulated. In the 2.4 GHz band, for example, the FCC mandates power limits and other technical requirements. New kinds of equipment that use different techniques than those already licensed must receive direct FCC approval.
The 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band is open solely for unlicensed use. No devices that operate in that band—which range from the WiFi access points to microwave ovens and cordless phones—can claim protection against interference from other approved devices in the band.
posted by DC at 10:59 PM
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