Here are the important players to keep an eye on as WiFi becomes more than just the sideshow in operators' networks.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

December 20, 2013

19 Min Read
Top 10 Carrier WiFi Movers & Shakers

Once a thorn in their network strategies, WiFi is now most wireless operators' saving grace. It's become an integral part of carrier networks, and the availability, quality, and handoff experience continues to improve.

It's an interesting time for WiFi in the wireless industry. For the most part, WiFi had to compete for attention with LTE network deployments in 2013, says Heavy Reading analyst Gabriel Brown. All the backhaul improvements, core upgrades, and R&D went to the 4G network. But that could start to change in 2014. Already, most mobile usage is happening over WiFi rather than cellular, and next year, many operators will turn their attention to building out their LTE networks with small cells and WiFi.

Brown says to expect a lot of interesting developments to continue in 2014, including Hotspot 2.0 progress, a growing interest in venue services, carrier bonding with LTE and WiFi, and R&D on multipath TCP.

For our list of Carrier WiFi movers and shakers, we took a broad look at the industry and identified those companies being aggressive in adding WiFi access points (AP), innovating on how they monetize them, and working ahead on those developments that will define 2014.

We've focused here on the mobile industry, but that's not to ignore the work that's going on in the cable industry, where WiFi is becoming a huge priority. As such we've also included a page devoted to cable's movers and shakers, but we plan to look at them more closely in future coverage. (See Small Cells: The Battle for the Lamp Post, Cable WiFi Hotspots Could Hit 1M in Year, and Can Cable WiFi Scale?.)

So here's our resulting list of 10 people to keep an eye on, presented in no particular order. As with our Small Cells Movers & Shakers list -- WiFi's kissing cousin -- some of the names may be familiar, coming from big operators, while others represent new startups on the scene, each with innovative ideas about how to make WiFi work.

As always, please let us know what you think in the comments section below. Does your time siphoning free WiFi from coffee shops give you a different opinion? Anyone you'd add or take away? Feel free to weigh in on the message boards.

Contents:

  • Page 2: Selina Lo, CEO, Ruckus Wireless

  • Page 3: Alex Puregger, Managing Director and COO, Fon

  • Page 4: Dr. Derek Peterson, SVP of Engineering, Boingo

  • Page 5: Dave Fraser, CEO, Devicescape

  • Page 6: Jim Mulcahy, EVP and General of Manager, Republic Wireless

  • Page 7: Pertti Visuri, CEO, BandwidthX

  • Page 8: Tal Tamir, CEO, Wilocity

  • Page 9: Bob Friday, CTO, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco

  • Page 10: Gavin Franks, Managing Director, Commerce, Telefónica O2 UK

  • Page 11: Chris Bruce, Director, International Sales & Consulting, BT Global Telecom Markets

  • Page 12: Cable WiFi Movers & Shakers

  • Page 13: Others to Keep an Eye on

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  • Next Page: Selina Lo, CEO, Ruckus Wireless

    — Sarah Reedy, Senior Editor, Light Reading

    Selina Lo, CEO, Ruckus Wireless

    Figure 1:

    Ruckus Wireless Inc. may not be the biggest WiFi vendor, but it's certainly the scrappiest. The company has been inking huge deals across the globe with wireless operators, enterprises, and municipalities since before WiFi was a talked-about offload technology. Ruckus has also been behind keeping connectivity going at high-profile events, such as the 2012 Democratic National Convention and the Sundance Film Festival, and in highly trafficked cities such as London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and -- most recently -- San Francisco. (See San Fran Taps Ruckus to Unwire its Outdoors, LatAm Telcos Tap Ruckus for Stadium WiFi, Ruckus Boasts Major Deployment in China, and O2 Brings a Wi-Fi Ruckus to the Wharf.)

    Leading the charge to cover the world in WiFi is Ruckus CEO Selina Lo. She's known for being candid and quirky -- she admits to taking tequila shots with customers and burning competitors' t-shirts, a leadership style she describes as a combination of "sheer will, brute force, and charisma" -- as well as her financial prowess. Lo was an early investor in Ruckus in 2004, becoming acting -- and later permanent CEO -- soon after. She took the company public in 2012. (See Ruckus Eyes Carrier Deals After $126M IPO, Ruckus Wireless Goes for an IPO, and Interview: Ruckus Wireless CEO Selina Lo.)

    From a technology perspective, Lo has continuously improved the company's WiFi technology. First it was the smart antennae and beamforming technology that made WiFi viable in crowded areas where interference was a big issue. Then it was introducing a suite of performance management apps that help operators place and monitor their APs. Most recently, Ruckus also introduced analytics to its WiFi so operators would have a clear view of what's going on. (See Ruckus Brings Analytics to WiFi and Ruckus Launches Wi-Fi Performance Management Apps.)

    With its IPO, Ruckus promised to make carrier deals its top priority, and Lo's ability to deliver is something we'll continue to keep an eye on.

    • Next Page: Alex Puregger, Managing Director and COO, Fon

      Alex Puregger, Managing Director and COO, Fon

      Figure 2:

      Alex Puregger, Managing Director and COO of Fon , makes the list because he's turned WiFi into a shareable, social experience, making it accessible through more than 12 million access points (APs) across the globe. (See Smartphone Revolution Helps FON Find Acceptance.)

      "He looks like he's been successful at not only getting partnerships, but putting them into action as well -- making sure they come to something," Heavy Reading's Brown says.

      The premise behind the Madrid-based company's business is encouraging its users, whom it calls "Foneros," to share their WiFi connections with others to grow the footprint. Fon's customer base gets access to these crowdsourced APs as well as those it secures through carrier partners such as Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), KPN Mobile , and BT Group plc (NYSE: BT; London: BTA). (See DT Preps Wi-Fi Push With FON, KPN Teams With FON for Wi-Fi, and BT Rebrands Wi-Fi Services.)

      It broke into the US market in September through a partnership with AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and, under Puregger's leadership, plans to make global expansion, particularly in the US, a much bigger priority in 2014. (See: AT&T Strikes WiFi Deal With Fon.)

    • Next Page: Dr. Derek Peterson, SVP of Engineering, Boingo

      Dr. Derek Peterson, SVP of Engineering, Boingo

      Figure 3:

      As a consumer, Boingo Wireless Inc. is a name you are likely see every time you log into a WiFi network at the airport or in other public venues. But operators appreciate the company for the work it is doing in moving next-generation hotspots, or Hotspot 2.0, forward. (See: WiFi Passpoint: Ready for Prime Time and iOS 7: The Next-Gen Hotspot Game Changer.)

      Dr. Derek Peterson, Boingo's senior vice president of engineering, has been instrumental in this work since he joined the company in 2011, leaving his role as a billing engineer at Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL). He was behind the development and testing that went into Boingo, deploying the first commercial next-gen hotspot test bed in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in September. Operators, along with their device partners, are using the pilot to test out the protocol for improved WiFi handoff, a huge pain point in the industry. (See Boingo Covers Chicago's O'Hare in Hotspot 2.0.)

      Peterson is also a member of the Wireless Broadband Alliance where he contributes to the standards body's user-experience requirements for the technology and the push for adoption of an industry standard around Hotspot 2.0. Through these two roles, he should be instrumental in making next-gen hotspots the new norm in 2014.

    • Next Page: Dave Fraser, CEO, Devicescape

      Dave Fraser, CEO, Devicescape

      Figure 4:

      Deploying WiFi for offload is one thing, but making more out of the APs that an operator has is a different ball game. This is where Devicescape Software Inc. has proven an invaluable partner to the wireless operators. The company has accumulated more than 16 million "amenity" WiFi hot spots worldwide in retail outlets, bars, and shops that it connects users to through an app that scans for the best connection.

      "The company's curated virtual network, service platform, and device client are helping operators to get their hands around and create value out of all the random and disparate WiFi networks that are currently available," says Ovum Ltd. analyst Daryl Schoolar. "Clearly, no one operator can build and manage a WiFi network that covers everywhere their subscribers go. Devicescape helps to fill in those holes."

      Even more importantly, as Schoolar notes, Devicescape is also trying to return value to venue owners with its PopWiFi service. Under the direction of CEO Dave Fraser, who has been with the company since 2005, Devicescape is helping businesses monetize the networks they have in place, work with operators to understand who is using their networks, and better interact with their customers. The company will be announcing a new services platform in early 2014 that takes the capabilities even deeper.

      According to Devicescape CMO David Nowicki, Fraser was also responsible for taking the company's curated network from purely a US presence to an international one. "[Dave has] that sort of nose in the market and hands-on work to understand what the market needs and the knowledge to drive it back through the technology side," Nowicki says. "He's been responsible for that, and it's a different approach to anyone else out there."

    • Next Page: Jim Mulcahy, EVP and General of Manager, Republic Wireless

      Jim Mulcahy, EVP and General of Manager, Republic Wireless

      Figure 5:

      Republic Wireless hasn't necessarily proven itself in the mobile space yet, but that's what makes it -- and its EVP and GM Jim Mulcahy -- an exciting one to watch. The Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) MVNO was the first to champion the idea of running a wireless service that uses WiFi first. It only falls back to LTE when WiFi is not available. As of now, the company says 70% of its traffic is on WiFi, while 30% traverses cellular. (See: Startup Taps Devicescape for Wi-Fi-First Network.)

      It's a somewhat crazy idea, since its business model depends on its customers using WiFi much more than wireless, but it also speaks to how far WiFi has come in the US. The company uses Devicescape's vast WiFi network, but Republic is in charge of managing the handoff process and making sure it is seamless. (See: Republic Wireless Revamps Its WiFi Handoff.)

      The company's CEO David Morkun actually came up with the idea for Republic Wireless after promising his six kids iPhones if they made straight As. The studious bunch delivered, and his wireless bill became astronomical. But we're giving the one-to-watch distinction to Mulcahy because he and his team were the brains-trust that improved the WiFi handoff process in its latest handset, the Moto X.

      The first generation of the service was clunky and handoff was a big challenge, but Mulcahy evaluated options for handoff available in the market. Finding the current standards lacking, he patented a proprietary handoff process that anchors a call in the cloud to move it from cellular to WiFi without any interference or indication to the end user. As he describes it, "it gives you the ability to relax engineering constraints on how quickly you have to hand the call over. It may introduce some latency, but he customers don’t care or notice it."

      Several MVNOs, such Scratch Wireless, have since followed Republic's lead in offering WiFi-first services, but they don't, of course, have the same handoff capability. If Republic can prove it's both a viable technology platform and business model, it could encourage more companies to launch, building a network out of a string of disparate hotspots. Mulcahy will be the one to keep an eye on as it sets out to do just that.

    • Next Page: Pertti Visuri, CEO, BandwidthX

      Pertti Visuri, CEO, BandwidthX

      Figure 6:

      While most companies are talking about getting WiFi everywhere for their customers, there are a lot of APs not in use at any given time. That's where BandwidthX comes into play. The company, under CEO Pertti Visuri, has built an automated electronic marketplace for bandwidth, in which operators can buy WiFi capacity exactly when and where they need it and specify the price they are will to pay for it, all via a web interface.

      On the other side of the market is anyone who controls WiFi capacity, who can also enter prices based on the time of day, location, or device ID. They let BandwidthX know what kind of authentication mechanism and credentials are needed, and BandwidthX makes the connection automatically using a small client app on the device that's tied to its hosted cloud marketplace. The model is reminiscent of AirBnB, which connects travelers to homeowners with extra space or empty rooms.

      The company quietly launched the service about eight months ago. Visuri is positioning it as a way for carriers to pay for their WiFi networks and, he claims, operators can save billions using it. He says he's signed commercial agreements for operation with regional companies at this point, but is in "advanced discussions with everyone in the US and a few international operators and expect to be in trial mode with Tier 1 companies during 2014."

      "The principles are well known," Visuri says. "The mechanisms, even though we're talking about pennies per transaction, are similar to the mechanisms being used in huge spectrum auctions the mobile industry does to find spectrum for their long term needs. We just automated that and harnessed it for other purposes."

      It will be worth keeping an eye on the startup and Visuri to see whether operators are as willing to share their WiFi as homeowners have been to share their guest bedrooms.

    • Next Page: Tal Tamir, CEO, Wilocity

      Tal Tamir, CEO, Wilocity

      Figure 7:

      Small Israeli chipmaker Wilocity is taking on the big guys like Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), and it's winning so far. The company was the first to develop 60GHz multi-gigabit wireless chipsets that can run on tri-band WiFi, dubbed WiGig.

      Not only does it have products up and running, but it has attracted the interest of other bigwigs -- Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) took a minority stake in the company early last month, and Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) has a deal with the company on the client side. (See Cisco Invests in Wilocity to Speed Enterprise WiFi and Wi-Fi Alliance, WiGig Align to Make WiFi Super Fast.)

      CEO Tal Tamir is driving the vision of bringing multi-gigabit WiFi technology to the masses, starting in the enterprise and connected home. He also represents Wilocity in the Wi-Fi Alliance, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) , and PCI Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG) , as well as the brand new AllSeen Alliance, a consortium working to drive the Internet of Everything.

      With his head start firmly established and his influence felt in nearly every organization that shapes the future of networking, he'll be one to keep a close eye on.

    • Next Page: Bob Friday, CTO, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco

      Bob Friday, CTO, Enterprise Networking Group, Cisco

      Figure 8:

      Bob Friday, CTO of Cisco's enterprise networking group, makes our list not just because he was savvy enough to lead an investment in Wilocity -- although that's part of it -- but also because of the deal he inked with Facebook and his involvement in moving Hotspot 2.0 forward. (See: Cisco Invests in Wilocity to Speed Enterprise WiFi.)

      In October, Cisco teamed up with the social network to develop a Connected Mobile Experiences (CMX) platform for Facebook WiFi that would allow users to sign in to participating WiFi networks using their Facebook ID. (See In the Air Tonight: Cisco & Facebook's WiFi Tie-Up.)

      Enabling simple single sign-on is important in a market where authentication can limit the use of WiFi, but it's also just the start for Cisco's WIFi and indoor location-based services ambitions. The vendor wants to help its operators monetize their offload networks in part by understanding the users on the network. That's why Friday's team has a WiFi analytics engine in the labs.

      Not everyone is jazzed about the idea of a Facebook-driven sign-on nor targeted ads, but teaming up with the world's largest social network is a good start, and it makes Cisco a company worth watching in this space.

      What's more, Cisco's Friday has been a vocal proponent for Hotspot 2.0, but he's more much than a talking figurehead for the cause. He started out at Cisco via its acquisition of a wireless LAN company he founded, Airespace, where he was the chief scientist. Before that he was the chief scientist at another wireless WAN infrastructure company Metricom. The scientist has 13 patents -- he knows what he's doing and what he's talking about.

    • Next Page: Gavin Franks, Managing Director, Commerce, Telefónica O2 UK

      Gavin Franks, Managing Director, Commerce, Telefónica O2 UK

      Figure 9:

      Telefónica UK Ltd. 's British brand O2 only launched WiFi three years ago, but it's already added more than 9,000 hotspots and 8 million customers to the service, earning it the distinction of being the fastest-growing WiFi operator in the country. It has hotspots, provided by Cisco and Ruckus Wireless, in most of its public spaces, including London's Canary Wharf and the nearby boroughs of Westminster, Kensington, and Chelsea. (See O2 Brings a Wi-Fi Ruckus to the Wharf and O2 Wi-Fis With Cisco.)

      O2's Managing Director of Commerce Gavin Franks originally wanted to blanket London in integrated cellular and WiFi APs, but found the multi-mode technology wasn't up to snuff when he began the rollout last year. His task now will be to retrofit the WiFi APs with LTE. It's not small task, but the fact that O2 allows him to run the WiFi division as its own independent group is helping him get creative on the vision. (See Telefónica Goes Wi-Fi for Small Cells and O2 Brings 4G Rivalry to the UK.)

      It also allows him to innovate on the business model around WiFi too. Heavy Reading's Brown says that of all the people on this list, he is the one that's breaking the most new ground in his efforts to monetize WiFi and tie new services to it. For example, he's led O2 in building out WiFi in venues that's monetized through welcome pages, special promotions, and the company's own branding. And, the parent company's Tu Go communications app works on all of its free WiFi hotspots as well. (See 2013 Leading Lights Finalists: Most Innovative Carrier WiFi Deployment.)

      "Whenever I've seen him speak, he's really impressive," Brown says of Franks. "He has a really good grasp of the industry, particularly the commercial models and the role carrier WiFi can play as connectivity, but also some of the ancillary services around it."

    • Next Page: Chris Bruce, Director, International Sales & Consulting, BT Global Telecom Markets

      Chris Bruce, Director, International Sales & Consulting, BT Global Telecom Markets

      Figure 10:

      Chris Bruce wears two hats when it comes to WiFi. He's not only the director of international sales and consulting for BT Global Services , but also is co-chair of the Wireless Broadband Alliance , where he's helping to achieve seamless international WiFi roaming between operators.

      It's Bruce's past experience that really makes him one to watch in WiFi. He was formerly the CEO of BT Openzone, the provider of BT's expansive public WiFi service. He led the deployment of 4 million hotspots and inked deals with a number of mobile operators and venue partners for offload services. Now, he's busy helping both mobile operators and fixed-line operators build out their own WiFi strategies. (See BT Tests Carrier Wi-Fi Roaming.)

      "Chris Bruce is one of the grandfathers of public WiFi through BT's embrace of it, and he's been running that business for some time," Brown says. "He's on the board of the WBA. He knows everybody and everyone knows him."

    • Next page: Cable WiFi Movers & Shakers

      Cable WiFi Movers & Shakers

      Here's a quick rundown of the main players pushing the WiFi boundaries in the cable sector.

      • Tom Nagel, SVP & GM, Wireless Services, Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK)

      • Michael Roudi, SVP, Mobile Services, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC)

      • Kelly Williams, VP, Wireless Product Strategy & Management, Cox Communications Inc.

      • Leo Cloutier, SVP, Strategy & Development, Bright House Networks

      • Gemma Toner, SVP of broadband product management, Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC)

    • Next page: Others to Keep an Eye on

      Others to Keep an Eye on

      • Alex Jinsung Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of ICT R&D Division, SK Telecom (Nasdaq: SKM)

      • Edgar Figueroa, CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance

      • Stian Kildal, Head of Product Line WiFi and Mobile Enterprise, Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC)

      • Alan Berrey, CEO and Co-Founder, Scratch Wireless

      • Dominic Orr, President and CEO, Aruba Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: ARUN)

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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