Wind Talker creates mesh wireless networks to extend existing broadband infrastructure

Wind Talker Innovations is a five-year-old startup whose software creates a mesh network out of wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets. Company executives say they don’t want to compete with wireless carriers, but rather they want to extend existing networks and make them more efficient. “The focus point for us is to partner with telcos and ISPs because they do have this infrastructure in place” such as macro towers, small cells and fiber backhaul, says CEO and Co-founder of Wind Talker Matt Perdew. Wind Talker’s software — called Osmosis — transforms mobile devices into a cooperative network of global access points. The mesh network allows carriers to get into hard-to-reach places. One area of the country where the company is initially focusing is tribal villages in Alaska, many of which struggle with internet that is sparse and unaffordable. The company is talking to the state’s governor and tribes about deploying its solution in the villages to extend existing connections beyond community "touch points" like schools and clinics. In addition to its hopes to work with tribal villages in Alaska, Wind Talker is also working with tribes in the lower-48 states. Perdew said the company has helped tribes apply for 2.5 GHz spectrum. While the Federal Communications Commission is putting unused EBS spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band up for auction, it gave Tribal Nations a priority window prior to the main auction to obtain unassigned 2.5 GHz spectrum for use in their communities.