Combining In-Band SDN and Wireless Mesh Networks for Internet Provisioning in Rural Areas

This paper presents a novel solution to bridging the digital divide in remote areas by integrating Software-Defined Networking (SDN) with wireless mesh networks. This approach leverages the flexibility and scalability of mesh networks, along with the efficient control and traffic management capabilities of open-source SDN, to provide a cost-effective solution for Internet provisioning. In our solution, the APs (i.e., mesh nodes), which connect each other via wireless mesh, are SDN-capable and connected to the SND controller via in-band connections (i.e., sharing infrastructure with data transmission). Unlike traditional methods such as 5G, LTE, or satellite Internet, which may not always be feasible in remote regions, this approach offers an affordable alternative. We used an emulator (i.e., mininet-wifi) and an SDN controller (i.e., POX) to build the network to demonstrate its feasibility. IEEE 802.11s wireless links are adopted for access points (APs), wireless links and the routing and forwarding are done by a software module on POX. We created and evaluated a medium-sized network using basic transport protocols (i.e., TCP and UDP) and essential services, including VoIP and video streaming. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed solution.