SYDNEY – 13 January, 2016 – Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE:RKUS) and BigAir Group Limited (ASX:BGL) today announced they have been selected by Western Sydney University to roll out Smart Wi-Fi across all of its campuses to support and distribute internet services to all staff and students.
Western Sydney University, formerly University of Western Sydney, is a multi-campus University located in Sydney’s Greater West. The University has campuses in Bankstown, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Parramatta, Penrith and Lithgow. More than 40,000 students study at the University.
Western Sydney University recently closed a Tender for Mobility Networking (Wi-Fi) to replace end-of-life equipment in need of upgrade.
Chief Information and Digital Officer at Western Sydney University, Kerry Holling, says Mobility Networking is identified as one of the two most important and publicly visible technologies employed by the University.
"Mobility Networking, or Wi-Fi, needs to deliver far more than just coverage and connectivity for the University," says Mr Holling.
"It is the key enabler for delivering the leading user experience for all of our community – students, researchers, academics and staff."
"We see this engagement as a technology partnership rather than a single project, and we expect the selected solution provider will work with the University to explore further possibilities and offerings that can be delivered for the benefit of both parties."
Following the tender and review of proposals from several providers, Western Sydney University has selected Ruckus Wireless as its offering of choice, supported by Ruckus value added reseller, BigAir. The solution includes new 802.11ac wave 2 wireless access points, enabling end users to take advantage of next generation Wi-Fi enhancements like multiple-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) technology, which significantly boosts the network's capacity.
MU-MIMO enables a given access point to handle a much larger number of concurrent clients, including Wave 2 enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops, as it serves devices in parallel. Combined with the higher data rates of 802.11ac, the new network will provide the coverage and capacity to enable students and staff to develop more innovative and flexible approaches to the learning experience.
Ruckus Wireless patented BeamFlex™ adaptive antenna technology further enhances the benefits of 802.11ac Wave 2 by maximising signal coverage, throughput and network capacity, for greater speed, fewer errors and instant bandwidth delivery. Unlike omni-directional antennas, which radiate signals in all directions, BeamFlex directs transmit energy towards the best path of the receiving device whilst dynamically configuring its "beam" on a per-station, per-packet basis, to achieve omni-directional coverage.
"We are delighted to have been selected with our partners BigAir by Western Sydney University to provide them with their wireless upgrade. Reliable, high speed Wi-Fi is becoming critical for universities, which are challenged by the proliferation of mobile devices on campus and increasing demand for online education content," says Pat Devlin, managing director at Ruckus Wireless ANZ.
"By deploying 802.11ac wave 2 access points, Western Sydney University will essentially future-proof its network and enable greater collaboration, innovation and many other online activities on campus."
Ruckus provides one of the best solutions on the market for high density campus Wi-Fi. Students need a fast and reliable service to tap the world’s knowledge, connect with people and have some R&R whenever and wherever they need," says Jason Ashton, chief executive officer, BigAir Group Ltd.
"BigAir Group's Campus Solutions division is the #1 managed network provider for student accommodation in Australia. Partnering with Western Sydney University for this exciting project is a fantastic opportunity and we are delighted to have been selected along with Ruckus."
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BigAir (ASX:BGL) owns and operates the largest business fixed wireless ethernet network in Australia.
This state-of-the-art network allows us to install business-grade symmetric broadband services at speeds up to 1Gb. With near blanket coverage around Australia, it can be used as a total solution or part of a hybrid network combining terrestrial technologies including fibre optic.
On top of expertise in Network Services and Cloud & Managed Services, BigAir delivers fully managed communications and Wi-Fi into Campuses, Shopping Centres, Local Councils, Retirement Villages and remote mining camps.