6. Wireless mesh networks and security

Wireless mesh networks are emerging as a serious candidate for extending the reach of operator networks at lower cost, for example in sparsely populated urban areas where cabling would be too costly to consider. The IEEE 802.11s amendment is currently being defined by the IEEE. The aim of this paragraph is to give a brief description of mesh network technology and the approaches to security that are emerging in the context of standardization. It should be noted that work on mesh network security is still in the research phase.