Mobile IP as an Enabling Technology for VoIP in Metropolitan Wireless Mesh Networks

Metropolitan wireless mesh networks are being deployed to provide broadband connectivity to city-wide hotspots. However, its commercial feasibility and business model have not yet proven successful. In particular, deploying large areas with good signal coverage is very difficult. The main problem is a result of the number of required nodes to cover an area with proper signal strength that can support services such as VoIP. Unfortunately, as the number of nodes increases, so does the cost of deployment. In an environment for which the economical model has not been proved, increasing the cost of deployment is not feasible. However, by the use of Mobile IP, it is possible to interwork with other networks. In this way, users can roam to other networks with broader coverage (e.g. 3G) in places where wireless mesh coverage is no longer available or suffers from coverage gaps. This paper, underlines the actual performance of the Mobile IP solution via actual measurements with available commercial handsets. The focus is on the feasibility of using VoIP services over wireless mesh networks and interwork with 3G networks. The results show that even though the performance is not yet optimal, it is ready for a service rollout under proper conditions. In particular, a good service offering can encourage users to make use of this technology despite the performance limitations.