Network World's Tim Greene looks at the current status of the communications infrastructure in New Orleans, and finds that many people are depending on Wi-Fi on a daily basis for both data and voice.


When Hurricane Katrina hit, Greene notes, the wireless mesh network in downtown New Orleans was the only communication system that didn't break down.


City CIO Greg Meffert says the network is now counted on both for security and for VoIP traffic. "We still have a third to a half of the city blocked out for telecom and power," Meffert said during a session this week at Spring VON 2006.


The network hadn't previously been tested to support VoIP, Meffert said, but after the hurricane, there wasn't any other option. "It's easy to try something new when you don't have to deal with the old network because it's in the lake," he said.


And with traditional telephone companies moving slowly to rebuild wired infrastructure, Meffert sees VoIP over Wi-Fi remaining a key part of the city's infrastructure for a long time to come. "We're letting this Wi-Fi technology become indigenous infrastructure to help bring the city back," he said.