Evaluation of a next generation public wireless multi-ISP network

As IEEE introduced the 802.11 WLAN standard in 1997 the wireless scene began to grow rapidly. Internet service providers (ISP) opened the game by building wireless access networks for their customers. Access to the ISP networks is usually limited only to ISP customers: On the other hand, the ISP networks are easy to administer. The next trend in wireless is public community networks built by individuals. The community networks are open for everyone, but the main problem is the lack of centralized management. However, an open and centrally managed wireless network can be built by using a specialized solution taking care of the network management. The main purpose of this paper is to introduce the "Lappeenranta model" allowing next generation centrally managed wireless multi-ISP networks, which are open to the public. As the solution offers new opportunities to all the participants connected to the network, the paper also evaluates the influences to each of them.