Move to provide enhanced peer to peer smartphone connections
Provider of peer-to peer mesh networking, Open Garden announced today that it is adopting Ant wireless technology, which will be available in the new release of its flagship mobile app, FireChat. FireChat is the first off the grid mobile app for Android that enables people to communicate for free, even if they do not have access to the internet, a cellular network, or a data plan.
Ant is an ultra low power (ULP) wireless networking protocol that enables direct connections between devices. Ant can be found in everything from fitness sensors to apps and consumer devices, including over 200 million mobile devices, such as Samsung and Sony smartphones.
Meanwhile, FireChat allows people and communities to create their own free communications networks thanks to its unique peer-to-peer mesh networking technology. In order to significantly enhance direct connections between Android smartphones, FireChat now uses the Ant protocol, in addition to Bluetooth and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi.
Said Christophe Daligault, CMO of Open Garden: “More than five billion new mobile devices are expected to reach the market within the next three years. Yet in most countries, people can barely afford to buy a smartphone, let alone a data plan or credits. Unsurprisingly, more and more people are using FireChat in countries such as India, Malaysia, Mexico, and the Philippines. To enable free communications in these countries, robust direct connectivity between Android mobile devices is critical. This is precisely what Ant helps us accomplish.”
Added James Fujimoto, director of Ant Wireless: “Our technology solution is perfectly suited for cutting edge applications such as FireChat. It’s great to see how Open Garden is taking advantage of ANT’s ultra-low power (ULP) practical wireless networking capabilities to pioneer innovation in wireless technology.”
