Ruckus Networks plans to expand service to millions of Brazilians by the end of 2020
California-based wireless networking equipment and software company Ruckus Networks announced that its devices and technology will be used in Wi-Fi hotspots of Google Station in São Paulo, Brazil. The devices being supplied include the company’s Virtual SmartZone Controller, Ruckus T310 outdoor Wi-Fi access points, and Ruckus R510 (higher density) and R310 (lower density) in indoor environments.
The project, made possible through a partnership with America.net and Linktel, involves replacing 120 Wi-Fi points in operation in the Brazilian city and the deployment of another 499 — totaling 619 access points. The Google Station Map shows all access points in Brazil.
Google Station is a high-quality, high-speed public Wi-Fi platform that provides easy access to Wi-Fi hotspots in high-traffic locations, such as airports, shopping malls, universities and transit stations. Google is undertaking a similar project with Cisco in Bengaluru, India, where the companies are working together to provide free, high-speed Wi-Fi to 200 locations across India in the next two months.
The São Paulo project promises to provide high performance using BeamFlex, Ruckus’ patented adaptive antenna technology, which ensures improved performance and connectivity, a better signal and maximum energy efficiency.
“Deploying Google Station with Ruckus technologies is an important step in connecting the next billion users,” said David Shapiro, chief business officer of Google’s Next Billion Users initiative. “Ruckus networks are simple to install and operationally cost-effective, allowing for a very rapid deployment.
Marcos Dias, regional sales director for Brazil at Ruckus Networks said that the no-charge service is raising the bar of user experience in Wi-Fi access, and is a significant milestone. “With this Ruckus solution, we are providing cutting-edge technologies such as BeamFlex, ChannelFly and PD-MRC which, in practice, mean better coverage with fewer antennas and more capacity to withstand a high density of users with a significant flow of data. That’s just the beginning!” said Dias.
Ruckus technologies are currently deployed in hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspots in Google Stations in India, Mexico and Indonesia, and last month, completed its first use case of Wi-Fi 6 in Africa.
