Speed is the key

The service is capable of delivering tens of MBps when it is relaying data between buses that are close by. When there are no buses close, the mobile router can connect via cellular services, such as Vodafone or Telstra"s 3G services that would give a minimum of 384Kbps.

"In fact, the on-board mobile router could also use the services of iBurst or Unwired to achieve high data rate. Passengers still connect to the on-board mobile router to [get] online, and don"t really care how the mobile router provides the online connectivity," Hassan said.

Intelligent features of the service include Wireless Multihop, where each vehicle would have a small routing device that "talks" to any other vehicle passing by. As one vehicle passes, the commuter"s computer automatically connects with the next one passing by.

"Our intelligent protocols can learn from previous histories, when buses or trains are coming that they can connect with. They can even allow for delays in traffic," Hassan said.

Another intelligent aspect called semantic compression aims to avoid network congestion by dynamically profiling the user. It determines the type of material the user normally accesses and then filters their Internet search so that only the most relevant data pops up.