Taking deeper aim at cable’s growing metro WiFi market, Ericsson has introduced an 802.11ac Wave 2 access point, the AP 6335.
Ericsson said the product, an “evolution” of the Ericsson BelAir 100SNE cable access point, is a new strand-mounted device that includes an integrated DOCSIS modem and multi-user MIMO, and connects to the cable plant’s power and backhaul capacity. The new AP 6335 also features Passpoint Release 2.0 and IPv6 “with full support of all FCC channels,” said Ericsson, which has deployed more than 100,000 cable WiFi access points worldwide.
The new product enters play as cable operators continue to expand their metro WiFi networks. The Cable WiFi roaming consortium of Comcast, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications, Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable have deployed more than 400,000 WiFi hotspots.
“This robust, high-performance outdoor access point will meet the complex and stringent requirements of cable operators and enable them to meet the demand of data-hungry, Wi-Fi consumers,” Paul Challoner, head of WiFi at Ericsson, said in a statement .
