Sky taps Ruckus Wireless for enhanced WiFi

UK pay TV operator Sky has tapped Ruckus Wireless to provide wireless access point technology to increase WiFi connectivity and improve performance in locations where there is high footfall such as coffee shops and bars.

The new service combines DSL links with the access point’s Ethernet ports to increase amplification and WiFi capacity in high-density area networks,.

According to Ruckus, the rollout of the technology does not require a LAN switch, link-bonding hardware or special network configuration that can increase costs.

“We wanted a simple, scalable, robust and low cost way to add capacity to our hotspots. Line aggregation or fibre optic technologies are too costly to roll out to 20,000-plus sites. This technology allows us to just add the same again, perhaps many times if needed, very effectively increasing capacity at a fraction of the cost. Our longstanding successful relationship with Ruckus Wireless meant they were the perfect partners to help us bring this new service to market within six months to the benefit of our customers,” said Sami Susiaho, head of edge technologies at Sky.

“This product demonstrates our investment in industry innovation and comes at a time where access to WiFi is becoming a utility – voice is moving to WiFi, video traffic is increasing exponentially and the coming summer brings sporting events like international rugby, Test Cricket, Formula 1, the Olympics and the Euros. Evolutions like this keep us in a strong position to grow market share in a highly competitive marketplace.”

Kevin Francis, solution architect at Ruckus Wireless, said: “Service providers often run two or more physical connections to remote client locations but it is generally expensive to aggregate all of these connections. For one, it requires an extra element: a network switch. The ability to bundle DSL links is key to delivering a better user experience – and now we have brought this to market with a world-renowned partner.”