Providers of what we call “localized connectivity” (access to the internet via northbound satellite connectivity) are in a space race to put connectivity wherever it’s needed, including locations that lack fixed infrastructure. But the satellite operators face obstacles to scale, driven in part by the backhaul requirements of their customers’ applications.
Most 5G use cases are extremely data-rich, and therefore envision infrastructure that connects to the internet via fiber, coax, or fat wireless link. Future use cases will drive increasing device density, data processing intensity, and redistribution of processing workload to the edge. In a constrained local environment with no pre-existing fat pipe, achieving the required backhaul connection using satellite alone can be cost prohibitive or geographically infeasible.
Enter the OmniMesh Nanoscale Data Center. OmniMesh Technologies has pioneered a firmware solution that distributes the compute and storage power of the data center from the network core (e.g. the macro data center), out past the tower edge (e.g. the microdata center), to the device edge—our Nanoscale Data Center.
Using OmniMesh firmware on commodity hardware with radios, lightweight computers, and sharded data storage, the Nanoscale Data Center extends the reach, capacity, and profitability of each satellite downlink node (or other localized internet point of presence). OmniMesh pushes connectivity and computing to the true device edge, out past the downlink node or cell tower. The contingent of OmniMesh nodes wirelessly route traffic east-west and allocate network resources and computing power as needed to serve any 5G use case, without having to run traffic north-south across backhaul or satellite links. The OmniMesh solution is universally interoperable, it leverages any wireline or wireless network resources, and it extends and enhances any kind of network.
The Nanoscale Data Center is adaptable to the constraints of localized networks: Data can be processed locally and only sent to the cloud in aggregate; nodes can store and forward; content can be pre-staged for local use, and some use cases can avoid the central cloud altogether. With OmniMesh, the north-south pipe does not need to be so fat.
This new, decentralized approach to localized connectivity enables providers to enter new geographic markets with fewer satellite downlink nodes and lower customer acquisition costs. Providers can also support new applications without investing in new backhaul infrastructure to meet rising data demand. OmniMesh’s partners become more competitive in developed- and developing-world markets, and realize revenue growth through new markets entered and higher transaction volumes overall.