Ruckus exposing HomeSpot strategy to the open air

“Carriers have a whole new respect for WiFi as a strategic tool,” Callisch said. “It just has to be handled correctly.”

Of all of the US operators, AT&T (NYSE:T) has the most aggressive WiFi strategy. It uses its hotspot network, which it built primarily through acquisition, as a way to extend off-site broadband access to its DSL customers and a means of saving capacity costs on its 3G networks by offloading traffic from laptop 3G cards and iPhones. AT&T is also a Ruckus customer, using its WiFi technologies to distribute U-Verse IPTV in the home, but so far it hasn’t broached the possibility of using that infrastructure to expand its hotspot network.

Callisch said the new outdoor products expand its HomeSpot strategy, but rather than creating public-private networks, they will enable a combination of public and semi-public networks. For instance, a Ruckus system distributing WiFi at a condominium or a resort would grant private prioritized assets to condo owners or guests while maintaining a separate public network for carrier customers or people willing to buy one-time access.