Case Study: NetCologne achieves city-wide Smart Wi‑Fi coverage with RUCKUS Networks

NetCologne connects the entire city with Smart Wi-Fi

NetCologne, Cologne’s largest regional telecommunications provider, set out to build a comprehensive, carrier‑grade public Wi‑Fi network that would serve citizens across varied urban environments — from the old town and Rheinboulevard to the trade fair and the Rheinenergiestadion. The challenge was to deliver reliable, high‑performance coverage that could handle large numbers of simultaneous users, work in remote parts of the city, and provide a foundation for future smart‑city services.

NetCologne chose Ruckus and deployed about 550 outdoor and indoor APs (R7782, T300, R500) plus a Smart Cell Gateway 200, using BeamFlex and ChannelFly for adaptive, interference‑resilient performance. The rollout now offers free 24/7 Wi‑Fi for up to 1.8 million monthly users, covers roughly 10% of the city with plans to expand, enables stadium connectivity and a smart “climatic road” pilot that reduced energy use and CO2, and provides a scalable platform for further smart‑city applications.

NetCologne

Ivan Andric

Group Leader for System Consulting