CommScope, Ruckus and the Federal Market

It’s been a number of months since Ruckus was acquired by CommScope, a global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks. The combination of the two companies is supposed to “shape the future of wired and wireless communications,” according to the press release announcing the deal. As we’ve progressed with the integration, I can truly see the meaning of this statement.

This is especially the case when you consider the federal government. The combination of CommScope’s wired capabilities with Ruckus’ wireless solutions can drive forward some of the government’s most notable trends, including network convergence, fiber, and mobility everywhere, 5G, Internet of Things (IoT) and rapidly changing network and technology architectures. How, you ask?

In addition to its industry-leading portfolio of wireless network infrastructure solutions, CommScope brings the foundation of a network through its copper, fiber and hybrid cabling – whether it’s a building, data center or base/campus. CommScope’s fiber-optic solutions deliver optimal bandwidth and lightning-fast data transfer speeds while enabling migration to faster, more complex applications. Ruckus, on the other hand, adds the wireless fabric, delivering ubiquitous connectivity with access points, switches, and cloud services. These combined capabilities now offer federal agencies the ability to connect almost anywhere, both inside and outside a facility. In short, it enables the government to think “smarter” about its connectivity through the establishment of smart buildings, smart campuses and smart cities/bases.

Smart Buildings

Federal offices are often dense with old construction, resulting in low bandwidth options and other networking/telecommunications issues. CommScope brings:

• Seamless in-building wireless coverage
• Best-in-class structured cabling solutions
• Automated infrastructure management
• Valuable power-over-ethernet solutions

Combining these solutions with Ruckus’ indoor wireless access points allows agencies to deploy capabilities to enhance the communications environment within buildings, making them smarter in the process.

Smart Campuses

Government campuses are seeing exponential growth in connected devices, wireless technologies, and IoT functionality. The CommScope/Ruckus solution set enables agencies to extend the network outside of an office to a campus environment. Specifically, the CommScope/Ruckus comprehensive portfolio of network solutions allows agencies to design and install a campus infrastructure that:

• Incorporates fiber, copper and wireless infrastructure, built to work seamlessly together
• Integrates an intelligent, automated management solution to provide efficiency and security from end to end
• Deploys state-of-the-art Wi-Fi technology built for performance, with innovations like smart roaming and band steering, and patented Beamflex+ adaptive antenna technology, to offer a strong, consistent connection
• Includes the design and manufacturing expertise to ensure networks are scalable for the future

Smart Cities/Bases

Finally, the new CommScope/Ruckus relationship allows government and defense agencies to extend the network even farther to include full smart city and smart base capabilities – including both wired and wireless connectivity. CommScope’s breakthrough distributed antenna system (DAS) technologies and pioneering Cloud RAN small-cell architecture help densify networks and expand coverage, bringing reliable wireless connectivity to places the macro network can’t reach or to scenarios it can’t handle.

Ruckus can leverage these capabilities in conjunction with our Wi-Fi breakthroughs in adaptive antenna technology, smart mesh networking, and other areas to ensure that every connected device and user has a reliable, high-performance connection. We are now able to deliver secure, high-capacity connections in some of the most challenging environments at scale – enabling full campus or base-wide networking options for the government.

As our integration with CommScope has progressed, the value of combining the wired and wireless solutions from both organizations becomes clearer. The ability of the government to come to a single source for anything from building and campus to complete smart city/base deployments is a major step in meeting their networking and communications requirements. We are happy to be on board with CommScope and look forward to working together to deliver full-scope capabilities to the government.

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