Overlay apparatus for an ad-hoc/MESH communication network, the network having nodes, at least some of which are mobile with respect to other nodes. The nodes establish and abandon connections as they move with respect to one another and generally requiring relatively small bandwidth communications in order to generate and maintain an ad-hoc/MESH physical network of the nodes and the overlay apparatus, but very occasionally a large bandwidth communication is made. The overlay apparatus may reserve at least one assured protected communication path between a source node of such a relatively large bandwidth communication and at least one destination node of the relatively large bandwidth communication via one or more intervening nodes according to a current topology configuration of the connections of the ad hoc/MESH network.