[p2p-research] peer net on the blog

[M. Fioretti]

On Fri, February 29, 2008 6:18 am, Michel Bauwens wrote:
> Hi Sepp,
>
> This is really a very important discussion and I hope the experts in cc
> can contribute to it, in the ning network, in the blog comments, or in
> the p2p research list, and perhaps you could keep track of the different
> contributions, and at some point give an overview of how the debate has
> advanced??
>
> http://p2pfoundation.ning.com/forum/topic/show?id=2003008%3ATopic%3A1067
>

Due to technical problems on my side, right now I cannot post what follows as
a comment at that URL, so I'm going with email. For the moment, I have a
couple of questions. You said:

> I see real peer-to-peer connectivity starting with consumer driven mesh
> networks based on WIFI or WIMax or a combination, and a gradual separation
> from today’s internet even for long range connectivity, which could in a
> first instance be driven by P2P radio bridges.

At least for WIMAX, current regulations "largely relegate license-free
providers to LOS coverage only" ( http://www.wimax.com/education/faq/faq48
): how do you put together a (network of) real long radio bridge(s)
without licenses? Not to mention availability of suitable sites,
maintenance... Besides that, how do you guarantee or regulate that the
radiated power in
any given area never exceeds safety limits, if everybody and their dog
start pointing WiFi / Wimax repeaters at each other?

> Mobile device mesh networks could be part of this. As almost everyone has
> a mobile phone today, it would take little to hack the system these things
> run on to allow them to form networks among themselves

Let's ignore for the moment how quickly the battery would dry if your phone
were to spend all the energy bridging other people communications: what do
you mean exactly by "it would take little to hack the system" and who
should do it? The cell phone owners? And, above all, in which way? How can
you transform a cell phone into something that communicates directly with
other cell phones like WiFi devices could (without, again, draining the
battery real quick, of course)?

Thanks for any feedback,

Marco
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