Despite the emergence of new wireless Internet technologies such as 3G and WiMax, a Silicon Valley-based firm is convinced that Wi-Fi has yet to reach its full potential and is, in fact, just starting to make its presence felt in the Philippines and around the world.

Ruckus Wireless, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, said Wi-Fi technology is still the easiest and cheapest way to access the Internet wirelessly.

Selina Lo, co-founder and president of Ruckus Wireless, visited the country recently as part of her Southeast Asian swing where she announced that the company is currently forming a Filipino-led local subsidiary to manage its business here.

The company manufactures and sells specially designed Wi-Fi systems such as access points. It is credited with developing the first “smart" Wi-Fi products that extend the range of Wi-Fi signals and automatically adapt to environmental changes.

It recently signed up mall operator SM, which deployed its outdoor routers in nearly all of its branches across the country.

Lo said Ruckus Wireless had posted $1 million in total revenues in the Philippines last year. “We intend to double that revenue this 2010," she said.

The company is represented in the country by its local channel partners. Its regional office is based in Singapore, while its R&D center is located in China and Taiwan.

The lady executive, who is viewed as a visionary in Silicon Valley and was recognized as technology pioneer by the World Economic Forum, said Wi-Fi will also increasingly become mobile.

“And the reason is because phones are now being used not just as a voice device but as a tool to access the Internet," said Lo, who is originally from Hong Kong but has spent most of her life in the US, including studying for a degree in computer science from the University of California in Berkeley.

She said that because 3G and WiMax are hindered by the lack and high cost of frequency spectrums, telcos are still looking at Wi-Fi to increase their Internet capacity.

“Wi-Fi is still faster than 3G, while WiMax devices are not yet widespread," Lo said. “The challenge, however, is how to bring Wi-Fi to the enterprise level where a robust system is required. That’s what we’re addressing."

Citing a report by the Dell’Oro Group, the company said the worldwide Wi-Fi market is projected to reach $9 billion by 2011. The enterprise segment is expected to represent over 32 percent of that total market.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Ang Hulubaton