Network failures and internet blackouts are major issues for residents in areas vulnerable to natural disasters or those stricken by man-made tragedies – an issue that is seeing progress thanks to peer-to-peer mesh networking. The City of Artue, French Polynesia, has become the first city to trial this technology as a disaster relief solution, as Smart Tahiti Networks (STN) and the City of Artue have partnered with Open Garden to trial a mesh network based on its application FireChat – a Bluetooth powered smartphone application. The city sits on a system of 118 islands and is reportedly forecast to be exposed to some extreme elements by the end of this year, therefore providing the perfect environment for these trials –…