Commercial Distributed Packet Radio (CDPR) and the Wireless Internet

Distributed Packet Radio (DPR), originally developed by ARPA due to its clear benefits for the military, has not yet enjoyed the cost reductions and improvements that would result from wide-spread commercial adoption. This lack of commercial adoption of DPR is not, however, due to a lack of commercial uses for DPR. In fact, a huge variety of applications could benefit greatly from the unique features that DPR networks offer: completely self-managing peer-to-peer communication with very rapid and reliable "no-fuss" deployment, no service fees, adaption to mobility and dynamics and automatic extension of network coverage as new radios are added. This lack of commercial adoption has instead been caused by a few key barriers that are impeding its transition into commercial markets: Too Needy DPR requires more processing power and memory than today's commercial wireless networks. Too Risky The DPR protocols are complex, not generally well-understood, and perceived as risky. Too Different The selling of DPR products requires new and different marketing and business models from existing wireless network products and services. The goal of this Commercial Distributed Packet Radio (CDPR) effort is to lower these key barriers currently impeding the commercialization of distributed packet radio technology. Anticipated Benefits: The characteristics of DPR technology make it ideal for the tactical military environment. Using DPR, flexible, robust, and adaptive wireless communications infrastructures can be deployed instantly supporting direct communication within and between every echelon, from command centers to individual soldiers on the move. In addition, these characteristics make DPR an excellent candidate for a number of commercial applications including: free community networking, monitoring and control of telemetry, disaster recovery, law enforcement, and data communications in remote or developing areas.