Evaluation of a Next Generation Public Wireless Multi-ISP Network

Matti Juutilainen Jouni Ikonen Jari Porras

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Lappeenranta University of Technology
Laboratory of Telecommunications
P.O. Box 20, FIN-53851 Lappeenranta, Finland

Abstract network to connect users to an ISP, which provides them

a connection to the Internet. In order to use the network, a
As IEEE introduced the 802.11 WLAN standard in user has to make a contract with the ISP. The network is
1997 the wireless scene begun to grow rapidly. Internet easily managed, since all the users are known. IP
Service Providers, ISPs, opened the game by building addresses and network settings can be provided
wireless access networks for their customers. Access to automatically with a DHCP server.
the ISP networks is usually limited only to ISPs' When adding multiple ISPs to the same IP access
customers. On the other hand, the ISP networks are easy network, routing and management issues become more
to administer. The next trend in wireless is public complicated. IP addresses and correct network settings
community networks built by individuals. The community need to be configured manually either by users or ISPs,
networks are open for everyone, but the main problem is since there can be only one DHCP server in the network.
the lack of centralized management. However, an open Fully automatic configuration is not possible as there is
and centrally managed wireless network can be built by no automatic means to decide to which ISP unidentified
using a specialized solution taking care of the network users should be routed. Also the Quality of Service issues
management. become more important. In fixed access networks, it is
The main purpose of this paper is to introduce the easier to ensure a certain level of functionality. When
"Lappeenranta model" allowing next generation centrally using other ISP's networks, it is impossible to know
managed wireless multi-ISP networks, which are open to whether the network meets the required quality. The
the public. As the solution offers new opportunities to all general structure of the network is shown in Figure 1.
the participants connected to the network, the paper also
evaluates the influences to each of them. Closed
Access Company
Company
Network Intranet

1. Introduction
Closed
Wireless networks have gained great popularity around Access ISP Internet
the world in recent years. The IEEE 802.11 standard has Network
made the rapid development and mass production of
wireless devices possible. As devices have become
available and prices have come down, people are getting Closed
Access ISP
more interested in joining the wireless scene. Internet
Service Providers, ISPs, are aware of the situation and Network
have started to expand their business in the wireless area.
In addition to traditional solutions like fixed telephone Figure 1. Traditional wireless multi-ISP network
networks, new wireless networks are being built.
The network type described above can be considered
as closed and ISP dependent. It means that unregistered
1.1. Traditional wireless networks
users are not permitted to join the network. In order to use
the network a user needs a contract with one of the ISPs.
The network infrastructure generally used in the
Each of the ISPs builds a network, which are then
wireless area is somewhat similar to the traditional fixed
connected to one another. The ISPs make an agreement
networks. The wireless network is used as an access
that their users can use each other's networks. Users can

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 then roam in the coverage area of the whole network. The The main idea of these community networks in general
network is only used for connecting users to the ISPs; is that they are open in every sense. Anyone can join the
there is no content like services or web pages in the network and offer services to other users. Anyone can
access network. The services are located in the Internet, also act as an ISP and provide a connection onwards to
and can be accessed through the ISPs. In [1] Juha Ala- the Internet or some other location. The main problem in
Laurila, Jouni Mikkonen, and Jyri Rinnemaa describe these networks is the lack of centralized management and
Nokia's view of mobile operator WLAN networks and the control. The network coverage area is not likely to be
possibility of using an Access Controller, which handles very extensive as individual hot spots may not be located
most of the network and user management tasks required effectively. The correct functionality cannot be
from an ISP (user authentication, access monitoring, log guaranteed, as the hot spots are independent. Anyone can
file collecting etc). Unfortunately, the full advantage of offer ISP services without actually ensuring the
using Access Controllers can only be gained in a single availability and quality of the connection and the legal
ISP environment because connecting multiple ISPs to the issues of providing the connection further. The problem is
same network complicates user routing and authentication that there is always someone paying for the Internet
issues and prevents normal usage of Access Controllers. connection. ISPs are not likely to approve a customer
These closed access networks are not favorable to end sharing the connection to other users, as the network
users since the actual network infrastructure is closed and traffic may increase considerably.
no free access is allowed. The only way to join the However, there is also a growing group of so called
network is to make a contract with one of the ISPs. The wireless-friendly ISPs, see [3], allowing their customers
network management and control is straightforward, as to share their fixed network connections to the wireless.
there are only few parameters to consider. Therefore, it is From ISP's viewpoint, this can be seen as an affordable
possible to offer some level of Quality of Service and to way of spreading the Internet connection and reaching
guarantee the functionality of the network. new customers. Additionally, the ISP can offer new
wireless connections and services for already existing
1.2. Wireless community networks customers. Some of the ISPs are getting even further and
are encouraging their customers to build wireless access
The next step in wireless network architecture is points. For example, Atlas Broadband [4] provides
community networks built by individuals. Usually these hardware for the customers to set up the wireless access
networks are non-profit networks that allow everyone to point. The customer can also get paid for people who use
join and use the network freely. The idea is that anyone is the connection.
welcome to join and contribute to the network. The Wireless community networks are getting really
network consists of access points owned by individuals. popular in the world and there is a growing amount of
The access points are interconnected forming the wireless material related to them. For example, Rob Flickenger
regional network. The general structure of a typical describes building these wireless community networks in
wireless community network is shown in Figure 2. his book [5]. A comprehensive list of community network
projects in the world can be found in [6].
ISP
1.3. A next generation public wireless multi-ISP
ISP network model
Internet
Community Network ISP As mentioned, both traditional ISP-driven networks
and modern community networks have their own benefits
ISP and drawbacks. However, it is possible to extend the
community network architecture to ease the network
ISP management problem and still allow public access to the
network. This next generation wireless network model
uses a specialized solution between the wireless regional
Figure 2. Open wireless community network
access network and the ISPs. The solution presented in
A good example of a community network is the Seattle this paper is called "Lappeenranta model". The network
Wireless Network [2], which has got plenty of attention in structure is modified from the community network model
the world. It is a not-for-profit effort to develop a by adding a component between the wireless network and
community broadband wireless network in Seattle. They the ISPs. The component is called Operator Interface. It
mainly concentrate on building a wireless is a cluster of servers located between the regional
telecommunications infrastructure, which allows them to network and the ISPs providing the connections to
bypass local telecommunication companies and their external networks. Anyone (any organization, company,
charges. network user, city or ISP, to name a few) can act as an

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 ISP and provide a connection to the outside world. An is located between the regional network and the ISPs
ISP may provide an Internet connection to its customers providing the outside connections. Operator Interface
and a company may allow its employees to connect to the consists of Service Interface, servers, and gateways,
company intranet, for example. The overall architecture which are next introduced more closely.
of a public network using Operator Interface is shown in Service Interface located in Operator Interface is used
Figure 3. On the left side of Operator Interface is the for collecting the regional network's services to a single
regional wireless network and on the right side are the location where they can be easily found and used. Service
ISPs and organizations providing the connections Interface is meant for registered service providers only.
onwards. Everyone is free to offer services in the regional network
but only the services registered in the Service Interface
will benefit from the additional resources like positioning,
Company billing services, and user authentication information.
Company Connections to the ISPs are made through Operator
Intranet Interface's gateways. Gateway 1 is a default gateway for
unidentified users. It has a WWW proxy forwarding all
Regional Operator the unidentified users to a WWW server that provides
ISP
Network Interface them with a login page that allows choosing an ISP. In the
Internet future communications the user can be automatically
forwarded through correct ISP's gateway to the ISP's
ISP authentication server. Gateway 1 also collects general log
files on the usage of the regional network. Gateway 1 is
not used to connect anyone to the Internet. Gateways 2, 3,
4 etc. are for ISPs. Every ISP connected to Operator
Figure 3. Centrally managed public wireless network Interface has its own gateway through which ISP's users
Operator Interface consists of components for are routed. In the gateway, log files are collected and the
managing the regional network and connections to the traffic is monitored. NAT can also be implemented in the
ISPs. The architecture and all the components of a gateway, if needed. The gateway may also contain
centrally managed public network solution are shown in additional services, such as WWW servers or firewalls.
more details in Figure 4. As illustrated, Operator Interface

Anonymous Regional network

Service Providers
Registered Service
Users
Providers
Operator Interface
Service Servers Gateway 1 Gateway 2 Gateway 3 Gateway 4
Interface

Services to be
- DHCP server
- User identification
- Domain Name Server
- WWW Proxy
- WWW Server
- Firewall
- NAT (optional)
- Log-file collection
…
- NAT (optional)
- Log-file collection
…
- NAT (optional)
- Log-file collection
…
…
offered in the - Authentication - Log-file collection
regional Confirmation Service …
network …

Operator’s server Operator’s server Operator’s server

- Authentication
- NAT (optional)
- Authentication
- NAT (optional)
- Authentication
- NAT (optional)
…

ISP ISP Company …

Company
Internet
Intranet

Figure 4. The architecture and components of a centrally managed public regional network solution

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 Instead of using a separate gateway for each of the used. The user may choose an ISP to get a connection to
ISPs, the user routing may be implemented by using two the Internet. It is also possible to use no ISP connection,
load-balanced gateways routing the users to correct ISPs whereupon only the local and sponsored network content
(see Figure 5). This architecture reduces the need of is available. The local content is always available to every
gateways, compared to the situation of having a separate user, regardless of the chosen connection method. After
gateway for every ISP, as illustrated in Figure 4. The choosing ISP to be used, the user is forwarded through a
gateways are separated from both regional network and correct gateway (2) to the ISP's authentication server (3).
the ISPs with switches. The switches are responsible of The ISP authenticates the user and sends a confirmation
implementing load balancing between the gateways in message to Authentication Confirmation Service located
practice. Switch 1 divides connections from the regional in Operator Interface (4), which stores the authentication
network to the less occupied gateway. The gateway then information (user IP-address, MAC-address,
forwards the connection to correct ISP through switch 2. authentication expiration time, etc.) to its database. The
Correspondingly, ISPs send a notification of every user information can be used later to determine whether a user
authentication to be delivered to Authentication is authenticated by any of the ISPs, how long the
Confirmation Service located also in Operator Interface. authentication is valid, and what kind of credentials the
The gateways are connected to each other and their user has in the network. Additionally, the ISP
databases are kept identical. authenticating the users can use Authentication
Confirmation Service for blocking unwanted users, such
as hackers trying to break into the ISP's system, from
Regional Network connecting to the ISP's network anymore.

Operator Interface

Gateway
Operator Regional 2
SWITCH 1 to the 3
Interface Network
ISP
ISP’s
- Load Balancing Authentication
- Cache 1 Authentication Server
GW1 GW2 4
- DNS Confirmation
- ISP-routing Service
User
SWITCH 2
Figure 6. User authentication procedure
In addition to the gateways and ISPs' servers, the
regional network management requires general servers
ISP ISP ISP (see Figure 4). The DHCP server is used to provide users
- Authentication with valid IP-addresses. A DNS server translates IP-
addresses to easily remembered domain names. These
Figure 5. User routing with two gateways servers are available to every user of the regional network,
unlike the servers in ISPs' gateways. The components
Just like user routing, also user authentication
within the Operator Interface may be freely distributed as
procedure will get more complicated when the regional
needed to ensure high availability and reliable
network is open for everyone and there are multiple ISPs
functionality of the whole bundle.
connected. Every ISP has to authenticate its own
It is also possible to offer a connection from the
customers. Operator Interface does not provide
regional network to another network directly without
authentication services for ISPs, since they are not likely
using Operator Interface. For example, a company can be
to be willing to give their user database information to any
connected directly to the regional network and offer its
third party organization. The ISP has a server for
connections to the employees. However, by default every
authenticating users trying to connect to ISP's network.
ISP is connected directly to Operator Interface, no direct
The server communicates with ISP's own authentication
connections between the regional network and other
mechanism, which can be a RADIUS- or LDAP-based
networks should be made in order to maintain the network
system, for example. Figure 6 represents the situation.
structure coherent and maintainable. The disadvantages of
When a user connects to the network for the first time,
bypassing Operator Interface are evident. Operator
the user is forwarded to a login page (see number 1 in
Interfaces management services, like DHCP server, user
Figure 6). The login page introduces the network to the
authentication, and positioning, are not available to the
user and gives the user an option to choose an ISP to be
company users. The company must provide its users with

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 those services. In addition, some of the value added 2. Influences of the "Lappeenranta model"
services (positioning, authentication information etc.) in
the regional network might not be usable. Bypassing Opening the regional network to the public offers new
Operator Interface makes also the regional network opportunities for local development. An open network
management more complicated, as the network solution affects all the participants connected to it. ISPs,
administrator has no control on the unregistered users' end users, as well as service providers and local
network settings, which may not work correctly or even authorities benefit from the changed infrastructure. The
trouble the network itself. centralized management eases network managers
Using Operator Interface between the regional network workload and brings maintenance costs down. This
and the ISPs benefits all the participants connected to the chapter evaluates the influences that a network
network. The main difference to the traditional ISP implemented using the "Lappeenranta model" has on the
dependent network structure is that the regional network local area and on the participants connected to the
can be kept open for everyone. Users are free to join the network.
network and people are free to build hot spots that can be
added to the regional network. However, compared to the 2.1. Local influence
wireless community networks, Operator Interface allows
centralized management of the regional network. An open regional network affects the whole area as it
Sponsors or advertisers, for example, can keep the local allows everyone possessing a suitable hardware to join the
content free of charge to the users. The city can keep all network. The regional network can be made available to
the public transportation timetables and city maps everyone, allowing an easy and affordable way of joining
available for everyone. When the local network is always the network. The openness will attract a larger number of
accessible, the cost of joining in is low. Participation users than traditional closed networks. The affordability is
should be made as easy as possible, requiring only a likely to encourage people that would not normally join
device equipped with a wireless network card. Some local the network. The large number of users in the network
services can be provided directly in the regional network will boost the technical development on the local area and
and can be used without access to the Internet. Naturally, give everyone the opportunity to have a network
the access to the outside networks will require a contract connection that is always available. A local collective
with one of the ISPs providing the connection. network brings the people in the area together as everyone
The complexity of the solution lies in the network, not shares the same network. Communication between people
in the interface; Operator Interface does not limit the is made easy and reliable, as the network connection is
network technologies used. Any type of network, such as continuous. It is possible to have more discussion on local
WLAN, Bluetooth, Ethernet, or ATM can be used. The issues. User forums for all citizens, for example, would be
main point is that every connection between the regional a good medium for giving feedback to local authorities.
network and the ISPs travels through Operator Interface. Open discussion forum would also intensify the co-
Availability of the network functions, like Quality of operation and consensus of local people and
Service, depends on the network implementation, since organizations.
WLAN standard itself does not support QoS. However,
external software can be used to extend the functionality
offered by the network itself. The network security, for
2.2. Influence on participants connected to the
example, may be improved by using external VPN network
(Virtual Private Network) solution.
As said, the "Lappeenranta model" is a combination of As mentioned, an open network structure has a great
the closed networks built by ISPs and the public influence on all the participants connected to it. ISPs,
community networks built by individuals. A more service providers, end users as well as city, building
detailed description of the open regional network solution owners and network managers benefit from the solution,
and Operator Interface can be found in [7] and [8]. The as described later in this chapter. However, there are also
solution is researched at Lappeenranta University of some difficulties and open questions, such as billing and
Technology. There is a vision - "Wireless Lappeenranta" co-operation of all the participants.
(see [9] and [10]) - to build a public ISP-independent As in every network, also in the regional network,
regional network covering the city of Lappeenranta in security issues need to be taken care of. As the network
Finland. The project aims to provide a free or low-cost connection is offered to everyone, there is no privacy by
network connection including local services, such as default in the network. When discussing about the
positioning, maps, and timetables for network users. The security, the network can roughly be divided into three
broader goal of the project is to research the possibilities parts: the users, the regional network, and the ISPs.
and benefits of using broadband WLAN-technology as an The users can be classified to three main categories:
ISP-independent access network. ordinary users, technology enthusiasts, and businessmen.

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 Ordinary users are not likely to be very interested in their network users provide the places for WLAN antennas and
security. They do not have any highly confidential equipment. Some parts of the network may be built
information or documents to protect. They just want to without the need for rented access point locations. This is
browse and use the network as easily as possible. already happening in the community networks.
Technology enthusiasts, such as IT students or other Keeping the network easy to join and always available
interested people, have the technical skills and desire to makes it attractive to end users. The number of users in
protect themselves. Businessmen possess highly the open network is likely to be higher than in the
confidential company information and are forced to traditional closed networks, as the openness and easy
protect it and ensure the high security level in the joining will attract new users. The open network structure
network. VPN (Virtual Private Network), for example, offers a broader range of potential customers to the ISPs:
can be used to protect data communication in the network. all the users of the regional network. Although the
The regional network and the services must be secured regional content can be free for users and usable without a
in order to ensure the correct and safe operation of the contract with any ISP, the ISPs are still needed for
network. When using Operator Interface as an intercessor connecting users to the outside world. It can be estimated
between the regional network and outside networks, the that most of the users will need an Internet connection,
regional network can be quite easily protected from and will therefore make a contract with one of the ISPs.
attacks from the outside networks. Also Operator When combining multiple ISPs in the same network,
Interface and its components need to be protected from the network management needs to be considered
attacks. Operator Interface can be seen as a single point of carefully. Traditionally, ISPs have been taking care of
failure. If it is down, there is no access between the their own network. When the network is broadened to
regional network and the ISPs. Therefore, it is crucial to host multiple ISPs, the management may become more
ensure the security and high availability of Operator complicated. The ISPs may operate the network in co-
Interface. Firewalls and secured connections, for example, operation or there may be a third party organization taking
may be used to protect the components. care of the network functionality. In this way the ISPs can
As ISPs are located between the Operator Interface and be relieved from the management side and they can
the outer networks, they need to secure themselves from concentrate on their main business model: providing the
attacks from both networks. However, this should not be a external connections and services to the customers. It is
problem, since ISPs are already exposed to attacks and essential to be able to guarantee the performance and
need to protect themselves anyway. Of course, repeated reliability of the regional access network so that the ISPs
untruthful attempts from the regional network to connect may provide their customers with the same functionality
to the ISPs are blocked by Operator Interface and and services as before.
unidentified users will not be allowed to connect to the The open network structure offers additional
ISP's network without the authentication confirmation opportunities to ISPs. The scheme enables easy
from the ISP. Operator Interface's Authentication implementation of short-term contracts between users and
Confirmation Service can also be used to prevent ISPs. For example, a tourist may purchase on-line a
unwanted users (hackers, stalkers etc.) from connecting to connection to the Internet. The ISPs may get users who
the ISP's network. would not have been interested in getting an Internet
connection otherwise.
Internet Service Providers, ISPs However, despite all the benefits there are also some
disadvantages. Separating ISPs from the network
Opening a regional network to everyone dramatically management makes billing more complicated than before.
changes the role of ISPs. Before, ISPs built their own As Operator Interface is located between the ISPs and the
networks and attracted people to commit to an agreement regional network, the ISPs can no longer keep track of
with them. This has resulted in several overlapping users in the regional network. Naturally, the ISPs can
networks that interfere with each other. When having a control the users when they are connected outside of the
common regional access network, there is no need for regional network through the ISPs. Collecting user
multiple networks. With the same effort, easier planning, statistics in the regional network has to be made by the
and lower cost, a better coverage area and performance network manager. This brings out the questions of
can be achieved. The network coverage area may also be confidence: what if the network manager provides the
easily extended, as all the network users (or organizations, ISPs false information or some information is missing?
building owners etc.) are able to build their own access And who will be responsible if something goes wrong?
points and connect them to the regional network. Of On the other hand, tracking users in the regional network
course, this kind of network extension is profitable also is not fundamental to the ISPs, as they are separated from
for ISPs, since they will benefit from the broader network the regional network management and the regional
area and the increased number of potential customers. The network is preferably kept public and free of charge. The
overall network implementing costs are to be lower as the usage of the local network is not dependent on the ISPs.

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 However, some local services may be ISP dependent, but Using the user authentication information provided by
collecting usage and billing information will be done Operator Interface's Authentication Confirmation Service,
between the services and ISPs. the registered service providers can determine whether a
The public regional network structure will slightly user is authenticated by any of the ISPs. There is no need
complicate user authentication procedure. The network to ask for user's login name and password every time and
manager cannot authenticate the users, since only the ISPs annoy the users with unnecessary queries. Using the
know their contracts with their customers. The ISPs are information provided by the Authentication Confirmation
not likely to be willing to give their customer databases to Service, service providers may decide whether to offer
the network manager, so the user authentication has to be their services to specific users. Additionally, depending
left to the ISPs. However, the authentication information on the authentication information, service providers may
will be sent to the network manager's Authentication provide different services to different ISPs customers. For
Confirmation Service, which can be used by the services example, the service can be free for the customers of
in the regional network, for example. The authentication certain ISPs. Similarly, the service can be denied or
procedure was illustrated earlier in Figure 6. separately billed from the customers of other ISPs. The
billing of services can be negotiated directly between the
Service Providers service providers and the ISPs.
The coherent network structure and roaming
The expected large number of users in the public possibilities in the network benefits also service providers,
regional network will attract also service providers. A as the users are always able to use the services regardless
public citywide network crowded with users will bring out of their position. Service providers may also use the
new service provisioning concepts. Shopkeepers, positioning and authentication information provided in
companies, organizations and individuals, to name a few, Service Interface to customize their services for different
will undoubtedly be interested in offering their services in users or user groups. Some services outside the regional
the regional network. network, such as banking services or commercial
An external solution, Service Interface, will be transportation timetables, can be provided (or sponsored)
developed for helping service providers to offer value to be available free of charge in the regional network.
added services to the regional network (see Figure 7). Anyone can build local hot spots to be added to the
Service Interface is a centralized solution for registering regional network. This includes service providers, which
and concentrating the services into a single location can build their own hot spots to attract users to their
where they can be easily found and accessed. Additional services. Hot spots can be free of charge or, for example,
features, such as positioning service and user advertisement funded. It is also possible to force user's
authentication information (retrieved from Authentication web browser's starting page to the service provider's web
Confirmation Service), can be provided in Service site, when the user is using the service provider's hot spot.
Interface. Service providers are free to offer their services Advertisements or announcements can also be forced
directly and anonymously in the network, but only to user's screen, but this kind of advertisement requires
registered services offered through Service Interface can users approval. The permission can be required from the
benefit from the additional features. user in order to allow the usage of a sponsored hot spot.
Anonymous Service
Additionally, organizations and stores, for example, can
Operator Interface automatically send advertisements when a user walks
Providers
nearby (if the user has approved this kind of advertising).
Gateway Network managers could also use the forcing possibilities
to an ISP to send some important information on network
connection breaks to all network users regardless of the
ISP location and given permissions.
Regional Authentication
Network Confirmation End users
Service
From the end user's viewpoint, a public regional
Service network is likely to be an interesting chance to get a low-
Interface cost network connection that is always available. The
Additional functions local content can be free, sponsored or advertisement-
for registered funded, for example, but the cost of the Internet
Registered services connection depends on the ISPs. However, Internet access
Service Providers
is not required for using the local network content and
services separately sponsored from the outside, such as
Figure 7. Service Interface architecture
banking services. The openness will also give the user a

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 freedom to choose whether to use only local services or to (see Figure 6). Usage of Authentication Confirmation
connect to the outer networks through one of the ISPs. Service in the regional network is likely to prevent service
The user is able to choose (and change) the used ISP providers from annoying the users with unnecessary login
whenever needed. This will surely keep the competition name and password queries as they can ask the user
high and charges low. authentication information directly from Authentication
Joining to the regional network should be made as easy Confirmation Service.
as possible to attract more people. There is an IETF
working group developing Zero Configuration IP City and the local area
Networking (see [11] and [12]). It would enable
connecting computers to the network without any When using a common public access network, the
configuration changes. The same functionality could be whole region can be covered with a single network
implemented directly to access points that would take care infrastructure instead of having several overlapping
of routing data between the user and the network. networks. An open collective network is beneficial to the
However, there is no implementation of this kind of city as it binds together the people located in the area. The
access points yet. Additionally, roaming might be a bigger network strengthens the solidarity among the citizens and
problem when using this kind of approach, as the access gives everyone an equal means of communicating with
points would have to be able to deal with different types each other.
of network settings. Network available instantly to everyone allows the city
End users benefit from the better coverage area of the to provide information on the local area. City maps,
common regional network, which is achieved with the public transportation timetables, and nearby attractions
same effort compared to traditional overlapping networks. can be offered for tourists, for example. Positioning and
The network performance is likely to be higher, since the authentication information provided by Operator Interface
interference from other networks is absent. Capacity and can be used to customize the services to meet the
performance planning can be done more reliably and demands. City can advertise its attractions and
future requirements can be surveyed more accurately. “friendliness” to give a positive image for tourists and to
Roaming allows network users to move around the attract new businesses.
wireless regional network area. As long as the device Single access network might also be required in some
remains in the coverage area of wireless access points, the areas. E.g. an airport might forbid five ISP’s to deploy
connection is available. Users may also expand the five redundant networks at the airport. Single network
coverage area themselves by building new access points requires notably less physical installation work and is
and requesting the network manager to add the access cheaper to build. However, how the network bandwidth
points to the regional network infrastructure. and cost are equally shared among the ISPs is a more
The open network structure is especially beneficial to difficult question.
tourists. Imagine, for example, a tourist arriving at the city The regional network can also be used to deliver any
railway station. The tourist switches on a laptop equipped kind of controlling and monitoring data of electronic
with a wireless network card. If the laptop is in the devices, such as electronic speed limit signs. The devices
coverage area, the connection is instantly available and can be controlled, and automatic updates or fault
the tourist is automatically forwarded to a welcome screen diagnoses can be sent over the network. This information
introducing the city, telling about the regional network can include temperature information, error messages, etc.
connection and giving options to continue with. It is However, devices must ensure that the information is
possible to continue using the local content without a delivered over reliable protocols to ensure that it does not
connection to the Internet. The local content is available get lost in any network problem.
immediately without any registration. Alternatively, the
tourist may commit on-line to a short-term contract with Network manager
one of the ISPs. The payment can be made on-line using
Opening the regional network and separating the ISPs
electric banking services, whereupon the ISP's connection
from the network infrastructure management leaves the
and services are available instantly. The tourist may load a
administration issues open. There is clearly a need for an
city map on the screen showing the current location and
organization taking care of management of the regional
nearby attractions. Correspondingly the tourist may ask
network. The organization can be a non-profit company
driving directions to somewhere in the city. Public
founded by ISPs operating in the same area. This
transport timetables and routes can be provided
company provides the ISPs with a connection to the
automatically depending on the location. Local
regional network and takes responsibility for the network
newspapers headlines advertising local events, for
management. The company should not try to make money
example, can also be shown on the screen.
from the network to keep costs as low as possible. The
The centralized management of the network enables
ISPs would pay the organization for the connection to the
the user authentication structure introduced in chapter 1.3

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 regional network. If the network management costs are 3. Conclusions
high it will be difficult to keep the public network open.
The company must also allow new ISPs to connect to the It appears that public networks will be the future trend
access network. Besides ISPs, the network management in the wireless scene. "Traditional" wireless networks
company may be formed by the city and local business built by ISPs narrow the opportunities of end users, since
districts, which believe that they can gain from the those networks are usually closed and no unidentified
existence of the network. The third alternative is that a users are permitted in the network. The ISPs are likely to
commercial company builds the access network and have a "monopoly" situation and charge the users
leases it to the ISPs. This can also be a perfectly accordingly. Without co-operation between the ISPs there
acceptable solution to ISPs, as then the network will also be several overlapping networks interfering with
management is taken care of. It can be cheaper to rent each other. The benefit of the solution is the possibility to
already built network than build a competing one. Users control the network and its users closely and reliably.
needing the ISPs' connections will pay for it anyway and The next step on the wireless scene is the community
the ISPs can invest some of that money to the network networks built by individual people. Typically, these non-
management and maintenance, which would also be profit regional networks are open in every sense. Anyone
needed anyway. can use the network and the local services. Anyone can
There are several options for building and extending also offer services in the network and provide the network
the regional network. The network manager can build the users with access to the Internet, for example. It is up to
whole network and lease it to the ISPs. Alternatively, the the service providers what kind of services or connections
ISPs can build the network in co-operation and establish a they provide and to whom. The main problem of these
new organization for managing it. The network can also networks is the lack of centralized management and
be based on individual access points built by the network control. There is no one controlling the network and it can
participants like users, companies, city, network manager, be difficult to detect network misusage and to find
and the ISPs. In this way the network costs would be responsible users in a problem situation. Also network
divided into all the participants but it would require close planning is difficult and the coverage area is not likely to
co-operation between all of the participants. Probably the be very extensive as individual hot spots may not be
best alternative for the network structure is a combination located effectively.
of these different options. The next generation of wireless networks is regional
Responsibility questions are also an important part of networks having centralized management and still
the network management. Who should be blamed if the allowing public access. The solution called "Lappeenranta
network does not work? Should the network have some model" is presented in this paper. The key component of
expected Quality of Service? These questions depend on the solution is Operator Interface including its
the chosen network manager and the network technology components like Service Interface and Authentication
used. The network manager cannot be accountable for Information Service. Network management is taken care
some individual access points that it cannot control. of by Operator Interface. The centralized management is
Instead, the network manager may be responsible for especially beneficial to ISPs and service providers as they
having the main network infrastructure up and running. can concentrate on their main businesses.
Providing Quality of Service in the network requires the It is evident that there is a clear demand for public
usage of network technology supporting the QoS networks. People are building free community networks
specifications. all around the world. However, there is also a clear
There will always be people complaining that the demand for the centralized management in these networks
network does not cover all the needed areas. The network as it binds together the requirements of all the participants
can be extendable and anyone willing can extend the and brings out also the ISP's viewpoint. Users want free
network by adding a new hot spot and connecting it to the and easy access; ISP's need to ensure network
network. This makes the network management more functionality and controllability, and service providers
complicated, since parts of the network may disappear as want to offer their services to a broader group of users.
someone decides to remove an access point. Solution to In this paper, the benefits and drawbacks of a public
this is a two level management; the core network is centrally managed wireless network solution have been
managed more closely and independent branches are only evaluated. As the solution offers new opportunities to all
given advice by general management. In this way the the participants connected to the network, the evaluation
network coverage can be extended, even if the network has been done from a broad perspective covering the
quality is worse in some parts of the network. influence to each of the participants. ISPs can concentrate
on their main business. Service providers are interested in
the large number of network users and the additional
possibilities. End users get a low-cost network connection
that is always available.

Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 The centralized management helps controlling the [4] Atlas Broadband, web pages,
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[6] Freenetworks.org, web pages, http://freenetworks.org/
the question of confidence is important, as well as the
Quality of Service, etc. It can be seen that the benefits of a [7] M. Juutilainen, J. Ikonen, and J. Porras, "Connecting
public centrally managed network infrastructure Multiple Operators to a Regional Network", IASTED
outweighs the disadvantages and the solution should be Wireless and Optical Communications, 2002, pp. 545-550.
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access networks. Thesis, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland,
2001, URN NBN:fi-fe 20011637 (in Finnish).
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http://www.wlpr.net/
[1] J. Ala-Laurila, J. Mikkonen, and J. Rinnemaa, "Wireless
LAN Access Network Architecture for Mobile Operators", [10] J. Ikonen and J. Oksanen, Wireless LANs and Regional
IEEE Communications Magazine, November 2001, pp. 82- Networking, IFIP TC6/WG6.8 Working Conference on
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http://www.seattlewireless.net/ [11] Guttman, Erik, "Autoconfiguration for IP Networking:
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Proceedings of the 27th Annual IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN’02)
0742-1303/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE