Ruckus Makes Over KDDI With Wi-Fi Offload

LR Mobile Rumors Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms 5/30/2011

KDDI Corp. has selected Ruckus Wireless Inc. to deploy more than 120,000 Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Japan, sources tell Light Reading Mobile.

Ruckus will provide KDDI with dual-band 802.11n devices to blanket enterprises, starting in Tokyo in the small-and-medium size business sector. KDDI will use its WiMax network to backhaul the Wi-Fi traffic.

KDDI plans to roll out 10,000 Wi-Fi locations initially in Tokyo then move nationwide with 120,000 devices by the middle of 2012, sources said.

The companies have been working to get the Wi-Fi network up and running for the past six months, but KDDI accelerated deployment following the earthquakes in Japan when a Wi-Fi public access network proved easier to set up than wireless, says a source close to the deal. (See Japan Efforts Continue, Impact Assessed.)

Ruckus would not comment on its relationship with KDDI, and KDDI could not be reached for comment.

This could be Ruckus's largest deal to date. The vendor also works with China Telecom Corp. Ltd. (NYSE: CHA) and operators in India, but on a smaller scale. (See Chongqing Telecom Creates a Wi-Fi Ruckus.) For more
The KDDI deal fits a recent trend of carriers using Wi-Fi offload to manage traffic on their network. Here's more on the subject.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile