Wifi Revolution

Over its last fiscal year, ending December 31, 2006, Ruckus Wireless shipped 100,000 Ruckus MediaFlex systems to more than 125 broadband operators around the world. The company also announced that over one million BeamFlex-equipped access points have been sold since introducing its Smart Wi-Fi technology in 2005.

Ruckus has innovated a new class of Smart Wi-Fi multimedia products based on its patent pending BeamFlex smart antenna technology that automatically steers Wi-Fi signals around interference, constantly picking the best path through the air for traffic.

The technology provides extended range of Wi-Fi signals and glitch-free whole-home streaming of IP-based video, voice and data over standard 802.11g.

Selina Lo, president and CEO of Ruckus Wireless believes nothing speaks to a company’s viability more loudly than having real customers spending real money on real products.

Lo said that the remarkable adoption rate of their products and technologies validates the ‘no new wires’ mandate from consumers everywhere. The company expects that Wi-Fi will cover the globe, letting consumers access any content type anywhere, any time. Ruckus saw the need to make this free medium as reliable and industrial strength as cellular networks and has now proven that it can be done.

In 2006, Lo was personally recognized for Individual Achievement in the Wireless Industry by the Wireless Broadband Innovation Awards. According to Lo the European and Asia Pacific markets for triple play services continue to drive adoption of the company’s Smart Wi-Fi products.

“We believe what’s happening in Europe and Asia Pacific is the tip of the iceberg and a harbinger of what we’ll see in an even bigger way in North America in 2007 and 2008,” explained Lo in a press release.

Ruckus Wireless revenue increased more than five-fold from its previous year in its fiscal year ending December 31, 2006. This was achieved through a combination of licensing agreements and sales of its own branded MediaFlex triple play systems and MetroFlex metro Wi-Fi access gateways.

The growth Ruckus Wireless reportedly comes from several colliding trends such as the increased use of broadband access, the convergence of computer networks and consumer electronics, and the race by broadband operators to deliver more multimedia services (such as IPTV and managed home networks) over broadband to consumers.

Based in Sunnyvale, California, Ruckus Wireless is a next-generation Wi-Fi company credited with pioneering “Smart Wi-Fi” technology. Named a 2007 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, Ruckus Wireless was formed in 2004 at Sequoia Capital.

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Anuradha Shukla is a contributing editor for TMCnet, covering call centers, CRM and information technology. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

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