Meraki in Ecuador

A company called Meraki Networks - which Google recently invested in - just might have a low-cost way to bring high-speed internet access to residential neighborhoods, the New York Times reports.

The "mesh network" developed by Meraki would use boxes in some of the homes to create a Wi-Fi network in their neighborhood that doesn't rely on pricey transmitters fixed atop lampposts or other objects. The in-home boxes would act as repeaters, extending a network. Each box costs under $100 - a far cry from the $3,500 transmitters used to establish municipal Wi-Fi networks.

The rise of broadband connections would be a boon to advertisers using rich-media formats and the burgeoning video ad market.

Right now, 27 percent of the country does not have access to the internet; moreover, 30 percent of those who do… use dialup. Municipal governments have explored options for creating citywide networks but have been hampered by the high cost - $75,000 to $125,000 a square mile - and signals so weak that they can't make it into people's homes.

Meraki's "mesh network" are not yet available for sale and have not yet been widely tested, but some say that the system's decentralized approach has solid value.