While some have said that WiFi will be displaced by 3G/4G, this simply is not the case. Never has and never will. The inevitable outcome is that both will co-exist and users of mobile devices will demand both. ATT is in a mad rush to build out their in-door network to satisfy the insatiable demand of the I-Phone. However at the same time, they are taking advantage of 802.11n (dual mode I-Phone), to off load to the outdoor and indoor 802.11n. New WLAN research for DellOro Group, a leading industry industry analysis company shows that Ruckus Wireless as the world-wide leader in unit shipments of Wi-Fi mesh access points to service providers, garnering 41 percent of the market in the fourth quarter of 2009, and 57 percent in the first quarter of 2010. The service provider market is being driven by factors including:
- Growth in client devices with Wi-Fi capabilities.
- Continued build-out of WLAN infrastructure to provide end-users access to (Internet) data, anywhere, anytime.
- Increasing offerings of free Wi-Fi access by service providers to maintain subscriber loyality and provide opportunity to off-load cellular data traffic. The price point for ATT to offer "free" Wi-Fi and force the use of this on data downloads is a whole less costly that adding a BTS to each and every large venue. However, everything is dependent upon the marketplace that you are in.
- Adoption of outdoor Wi-Fi mesh infrastructure by service providers to offer broadband access in locations where traditional wired access is not feasible or affordable.
Ruckus it seems has developed a "smarter" approach to Wi-Fi that employs patented dynamic beamforming technology, interference rejection techniques, and adaptive signal controls to deliver wireless range and performance never before available to Wi-Fi operators.
