As communication technology evolves, the need to use WiFi and cellular networks to communicate might be a thing of the past. Oppo a chinese smartphone maker has announced a new proprietary communications technology designed to let people call or chat across medium distances of about 3km without using cellular networks, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. The protocol is called MeshTalk.
Meshtalk is a decentralized, end-to-end system that Oppo says can cover up to 3 kilometers outdoors — or even further in more crowded environments when signal relay between devices can be used.
The drawback currently is that it will be initially available on Oppo devices which will be able to create ad hoc local area networks across a wide area and communicate directly to each other without the need for base stations. Unlike traditional cellular networks, the company claims that MeshTalk won’t have a significant effect on battery life, and indeed plans for it to work with a 72-hour standby mode so that phones can still be reached in an emergency when they’re low on power.
Oppo’s vision for MeshTalk is to be used in situations where you don’t have internet access or when traditional networks are too congested, such as at a concert or after landing at a foreign airport. It’s not clear whether it’ll work with existing Oppo phones or how whether other smartphone makers will adopt it’s but it’s being demonstrated this week at MWC Shanghai.
