When two heavyweights join hands, we should take notice. Alvarion and Tropos Networks are collaborating on providing wireless broadband infrastructure for municipal networks. The effort combines Alvarion's BreezeACCESS wireless broadband systems for the 4.9 GHz band and 5 GHz band as backhaul support for Tropos' MetroMesh WiFi system in municipal networks. In this age of heightened awareness of security issues, it is important to note that BreezeACCESS products can also be used to provide data links for cameras and traffic systems throughout a city. Specifically, Alvarion's BreezeACCESS 4900, which operates over the U.S. licensed public safety band, is FIPS-197-certified and uses federally approved AES encryption. The Alvarion-Tropos collaboration will thus be especially appealing to municipalities eager to bolster communication and enhance operation of public safety agencies.

The combined solution supports both fixed and mobile users. The companies said they were already jointly engaged in numerous high-profile projects across the U.S. Tropos MetroMesh is currently the most widely deployed WiFi mesh solution worldwide. We mentioned security concerns above and, indeed, one reason for the company's success has been the fact that in the post-9/11 world municipal police, fire and EMS departments have been among the first to adopt metro-scale WiFi mesh networks.

For more on Alvarion-Tropos collaboration:
- read this press release
For more on the two companies' technologies:
- see the Web sites of Tropos |Alvarion

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