• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Ruckus Wireless' Smarter 802.11n Makes PCCW Hotspots Even Hotter

Posted on: Monday, 20 April 2009, 07:00 CDT

Smart Wi-Fi over 802.11n Gives PCCW Users Unprecedented Speed and Reliability, Complements PCCW's Optical Fiber Backhauls to Hotspots

HONG KONG and SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Ruckus Wireless(TM) today announced that PCCW, Hong Kong's premier telecommunications provider, has selected its ZoneFlex(TM) 802.11n Smart Wi-Fi access points to deliver ultra-fast mobile Internet access and mobile infotainment content from its network of 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Hong Kong.

PCCW has already installed over 2,000 Ruckus ZoneFlex 802.11g access points in their Wi-Fi hotspots in convenience stores, coffee shops, restaurants, shopping malls, the airport and telephone booths.

"With its innovative use of Smart Wi-Fi, PCCW is setting the standard for ubiquitous, reliable, high performance wireless broadband services that deliver the ultimate mobile Internet experience," said Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless.

Lo noted that while mobile data revenue is rising with the rapid adoption of smartphones, mobile data traffic is growing at a much faster pace. "Wi-Fi is the most cost-effective and technologically mature solution for operators to offload mobile data traffic and maximize their profit margins."

According to In-Stat, portable media players shipping with Wi-Fi will grow to over 100 million units by 2011 while cellular/Wi-Fi handsets will pass 300 million units by 2012. "Mobile device shipments will outnumber stationary consumer electronic devices by nearly ten to one," said Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst.

"Wi-Fi remains the most economical technology to easily extend broadband wireless infrastructures for new multimedia mobile services," said Paul Berriman, Chief Technology Officer of PCCW Ltd. "Added benefits from Wi-Fi come in the form of higher access speeds, simpler deployment and an enormous installed base of client devices."

"Wi-Fi has allowed us to augment our 3G/HSPA infrastructure so we can offer richer quad play service bundles to our customers," said Allen Wong, Director of Product Development and Management for PCCW. Wong noted that over the last 18 months subscriber use at Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong has grown tenfold.

Considered a pioneer in quad play services, PCCW was one of the first carriers to offer IPTV services over its fixed-line, mobile, Internet and IPTV platforms. PCCW is now among the first providers to offer part of their IP-based video content over its wireless broadband infrastructure. Seamless roaming allows users with dual-mode devices to move between Wi-Fi, HSPA and 3G for optimum connectivity with no service interruption.

Smarter Wi-Fi Becoming an Essential Element of Mobile Broadband Strategies

Wi-Fi has become a key technology for service providers to quickly add wireless broadband coverage, ease congestion on the cellular network, attract and retain subscribers, increase ARPU and add support for devices without a cellular connection such as some MP3 players, gaming devices and laptops.

In places like China, where 3G licenses have only recently been granted by the government, and in India, where fixed lines are not ubiquitous, Wi-Fi is being viewed as an essential technology to the broadband wireless evolution. In the United States and Europe, broadband providers and MSOs are using Wi-Fi systems to build multimedia hotspots, extend branded broadband service out-of-region or bundle Wi-Fi roaming service for existing cable or broadband subscribers.

Unfortunately, conventional Wi-Fi systems are designed for either SOHO or enterprise environments. They lack the reliability, performance consistency, remote management and ease of deployment and operation that are essential to service providers.

A Smarter Wi-Fi for Service Providers

Unlike conventional Wi-Fi technology, Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi was developed to address the stringent service provider requirements in reliability, performance, remote management, ease of deployment and servicing. Priced attractively for operators, Smart Wi-Fi is not encumbered by enterprise features that are irrelevant to service provider applications.

Developed specifically for telecom providers, Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi leverages patented BeamFlex(TM) technology to meet these needs. BeamFlex is an advanced and adaptive Wi-Fi implementation that constantly forms and directs Wi-Fi signals over the best performing paths, extending signals only where they are needed. This enables operators to economically increase coverage while confidently delivering more reliable wireless connections that can support emerging multimedia content.

Simple to deploy, Smart Wi-Fi integrates seamlessly with existing back-end authentication and management systems. Leveraging advanced tunneling and traffic redirection capabilities, Smart Wi-Fi supports a variety of hotspot business models such as ad-based, fee-based and subscription-based service, location-aware content delivery, managed branded hotspots, etc.

About Ruckus Wireless, Inc.

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Ruckus Wireless is a manufacturer of advanced "smart" Wi-Fi technology and wireless LAN (WLAN) systems used by enterprises and carriers around the world. Named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, Ruckus has developed patented technology that uniquely extends signal range and allows for consistently reliable distribution of delay-sensitive multimedia content and services over standard 802.11 Wi-Fi. Its flagship product line, ZoneFlex, is the first centralized wireless LAN system to combine state-of-the-art Wi-Fi smart antenna arrays and wireless meshing to deliver maximum range and reliable performance at the lowest cost. Its MediaFlex multimedia wireless routers are used by leading broadband operators around the world to extend digital services such as IPTV throughout subscribers' home without wires. Ruckus has raised approximately $39million from premier investors such as Motorola, T-Ventures, Telus, Sutter Hill Ventures, Mitsui, Sequoia Capital and others. Ruckus Wireless is led by Ms Selina Lo, president and chief executive officer. For more information visit Ruckus Wireless at http://www.ruckuswireless.com

Media Contacts David Callisch Ruckus Wireless david@ruckuswireless.com +1-408-504-5487 mobile

SOURCE Ruckus Wireless

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category