Ruckus Makes Over KDDI With Wi-Fi Offload

Ruckus Makes Over KDDI With Wi-Fi Offload

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

May 30, 2011

1 Min Read
Light Reading logo in a gray background | Light Reading

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.

  • Wi-Fi Offload Set to Boom in India

  • Mobile Wi-Fi Offload

  • Wireless Operators Embrace Wi-Fi as Their Own

  • Wi-Fi Ruckus in Wallingford

  • Telstra Picks Ruckus



— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author

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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