T-Mobile is leveraging Wi-Fi for offloading its radio network. The operator uses the Smart Wi-Fi application from Kineto Wireless that automatically activates the user’s handset when in range of a wireless network and automatically turns on the handset’s Wi-Fi radio, making the switch more convenient for subscribers. Although T-Mobile continues to review femtocells and repeaters, there are no current deployment plans, according to Yasmin Karimli, head of T-Mobile USA’s radio network evolution and strategy.
Others vendors like Ruckus Wireless are changing their strategies, as well. Ruckus is selling its platform to operators as a private offload network rather than as a public hotspot. And NSN has announced a new Smart WLAN platform that will enable operators to manage Wi-Fi access points as nodes on their radio networks.