Ruckus Networks, an ARRIS company, has announced a strategic partnership with Glide, a provider of managed internet services for students. The partnership will help connect thousands of students across the UK, taking Glide’s innovation to the next level with tailor-made connectivity products and services.
UK student populations continue to grow with nearly 1.9 million full-time students, approximately 1-in-3 people, according to the ONS. In addition, Gartner estimates that there will be 20.4 billion connected ‘things’ by 2020. This represents a challenge for the multi-dwelling unit (MDU) market since students demand constant Wi-Fi connectivity for their multiple devices.
Unlike other providers, Glide offers fibre-to-the-flat connectivity. It has deployed Ruckus’ specialist switching infrastructure into a number of its refurbished student housing locations to complement the Ruckus H510 indoor wireless access points installed in each room.
Meri Braziel, Chief Operating Officer at Glide said, “we’re delighted to be working with Ruckus to expand our ever-growing student customer base. We are passionate about creating a great customer experience with our super-fast Wi-Fi and smart enabled buildings and are determined to drive down the cost of running these residences, future-proof the asset and provide an enhanced experience for the student.”
“Students want to be connected everywhere, the Wi-Fi has to cover all areas from the stairs to the common rooms. Ruckus worked with us to ensure the deployment ran smoothly.”
Looking to the future, Glide and Ruckus will continue collaborating to explore how technology can be leveraged for the next generation of student accommodation. Ruckus’ range of 802.11ax (now known as Wi-Fi 6) access points came to market earlier this year, and Glide will be including these capabilities as soon as possible. Glide’s solutions will be backed by Ruckus’ premium Bulldog Support, which provides tight collaboration throughout the customer lifecycle from development to operating a leading-edge solution.
Steve Johnson, Regional Director Northern Europe at Ruckus Networks said, “we look forward to the journey ahead of us working alongside Glide as they continue to provide a cutting-edge service to the UK’s students. The student accommodation market is under pressure to deliver a better technological experience to tenants. As we see the rise of smart homes and a constantly connected educational environment, it’s vital that the infrastructure is better than ever.”
Greg Freeman, Senior Contracts Manager for accommodation operator Fresh Property Group added, "for the new Bridge Street Exchange student accommodation in Cardiff, Glide championed Ruckus as the best technology to deliver fast and resilient Wi-Fi to enhance the student experience and support critical operations like access control and laundry view. The project was delivered on time with transparent progress reporting and the technology exceeded each provision in our tender and, so far the on-site teams have received no complaints.”
