A new study from ABI Research predicts big growth ahead for the wireless mesh networking market--possibly ten-fold growth in the next five years--with most of the network investment coming from municipal network projects, campus-style deployments and alternative service providers, rather than incumbent telcos and cable TV operators.

The study, called "Wireless Mesh Networking: Technologies and Deployment Strategies for Metropolitan and Campus Networks," comes out the day after Cisco Systems announced its long-awaited entry into the market for outdoor deployments of wireless mesh architectures. ABI's research examines the trends for both metro-scale and campus-scale wireless mesh networking technology on a worldwide basis.

"I think that the growth rate will be dramatic," said Sam Lucero, senior analyst of wireless connectivity at ABI, in a statement. "It's an interesting market that has a lot of potential for alternative service providers such as EarthLink--ISPs that don't have their own facilities at present. It is an essential means for them to remain viable in the provision of services. Wireless mesh networking allows them a relatively cost-effective way to deploy their own facilities within targeted areas. But they're not positioning this as directly competitive to triple-play services."

Lucero said in the statement that Cisco's announcement "represents further validation" for the metro-scale mesh market. "In addition, with the company's significant customer base for enterprise WLAN equipment and its emphasis on centralized control of unified indoor WLAN/outdoor wireless mesh networks, Cisco may be able to jumpstart the campus-scale wireless mesh networking market in a way that its competitors have largely been unable to do to date," Lucero said.

Cisco's competitors in the mesh market have suggested that the networking giant's legacy in the enterprise wireless LAN business will work against Cisco as it seeks to win larger outdoor deployment projects.