Tropos lands in Australia, signs Wireless Tech

US-based metropolitan mesh networking company Tropos Networks has begun operating in Australia and initiated a reseller recruitment drive through Sydney distributor Wireless Tech.

Tropos – headquartered in California, USA – supplies equipment used to build outdoor WiFi networks often covering whole cities.

The country manager for its Australian operation is Antony Wong, the Australia/New Zealand managing director at Asia-Pacific IT investment and business development company Jay Young.

Wong – also formerly of Newbridge Networks and Alcatel - was instrumental in getting Aruba Networks’ Australian operation up and running in April this year.

Aruba has since hired former Avnet staffer David Humphries as local country manager and appointed Zircon as its distributor.

Tropos uses large 802.11b and 802.11g routers mounted on lightpoles to cover cities with wireless connectivity, Wong said.

Victor Law, Tropos’ Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific managing director, said the technology had applications for police and fire departments for instance. It could also be used for public internet access consumption within city areas in what he described as “hotzones.”

“It’s a good way to provide coverage and offer larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne where it’s difficult or costly to get broadband access,” Wong said.

Tropos has 275 customers worldwide of which 200 are in the US. Oklahoma City and Philadelphia Wireless were two of its biggest customers.

Resellers could deal with local councils in regional and remote areas to get the service up and running, Wong added.