Las Vegas tests high-speed wireless

Las Vegas Traffic Engineering Division

Las Vegas officials are ready to start testing their new wireless broadband network, put in place across the city's downtown area for traffic and public safety agencies.

The network, developed by MeshNetworks Inc. and Cheetah Wireless Technologies Inc., is intended will handle a variety of traffic management applications. Officials from Las Vegas agencies and those overseeing Nevada's Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation (FAST) will test the network. FAST includes intelligent transportation system field devices and traffic signals, central system software and hardware, and a communications system that incorporates a fiber-optic and microwave network.

"The equipment installed is low-profile and nonintrusive," said Jorge Cervantes, the city's assistant traffic engineer, in a statement. "We are hopeful that a wireless mesh network through a municipal plan could be a cost-effective way for the city of Las Vegas to provide a more efficient system to serve its citizenry."

Using the broadband data network, city employees will be able to exchange large files, such as blueprints and photographs, and access the city's geographic information system and other applications. The increased bandwidth — ranging from 512 kilobits/sec to 1.5 megabits/sec — will also allow agency and public safety officials to remotely monitor video cameras at intersections.

Once the testing is complete, city officials are looking to expand the network's coverage to the entire Law Vegas metropolitan area, officials said.