Tropos opens new front in smart grid communications war

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Quick Take: It's a war out there as smart grid communications providers seek to differentiate themselves. From the beginning, Tropos has been about multiple applications over a single network, such as municipal broadband, emergency response and, of course, smart grid. With the announcement below, Tropos has added military base applications to its list.

This could be a smart move both mid- and long-term. Mid-term, many people believe the military will lead the next wave of smart grid investments in things such as microgrids, grid-connected buildings and local renewables. Long-term, the world is heading eventually to smart towns and cities, where a multi-purpose network will be essential.

Short-term, however, Tropos may have to wait for others to catch up to its vision, especially in the U.S. where municipalities are too wrapped up in budget crises to pay much attention to the smart city trend. – Jesse Berst

Tropos Networks, armed with a new strategic relationship, has expansion plans for its high-performance wireless IP broadband networks: the federal government, more specifically the military.

Tropos says its offering is a perfect match for federal agencies that need a secure, reliable, outdoor-hardened wireless communications infrastructure – and ideally suited for the numerous stationary and mobile applications one would expect on a military base: smart grid, public safety, video security, Internet service and more.

The company's access key to the federal market is its new relationship with Four Points Technology, a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that provides IT products and professional services to the government. Four Points will provide Tropos' full line of FIPS 140-2 certified wireless broadband products and services through its NASA SEWP contract, an arrangement that gives federal agencies substantial discounts.

"Having a strategic partner like Four Points Technology will help us provide a  reliable and economical network foundation for military bases that has the performance, security and scalability required," said Tom Van Denover, Tropos' senior VP for worldwide sales.

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