Ruckus Wireless announces that it has been selected by Sonaecom to supply its award-winning MediaFlex multimedia wireless systems for Sonaecom's fast growing Clix SmarTV IPTV service.

Launched in April of 2006, Clix SmarTV was the first IPTV service offered in Portugal. It remains the only IPTV service available to Portugal's 3.6 million households.

With the Ruckus MediaFlex, Portuguese consumers will now be able to extend the location freedom that they enjoy with Wi-Fi technology to their television viewing experience. The Ruckus MediaFlex allows Clix and its customers to place televisions virtually anywhere within their home without running cumbersome and costly cabling to each TV.

The Ruckus MediaFlex system is based on standard 802.11g Wi-Fi that allows Sonaecom to cut installation times in half by requiring only a single installation technician to be onsite.

Sonaecom's goal is to move to a self-install model where consumers can simply receive the Ruckus MediaFlex or purchase it in a retail outlet and install the system themselves. This will provide IPTV on demand and enable the installation of additional TVs quickly and easily as needed. "Self installation allows the subscriber to drive the installation process when it is convenient for them without being handcuffed by the operator."

Longer-term Sonaecom can use the Ruckus MediaFlex system to support both IPTV and data within each subscriber's home. Each Ruckus MediaFlex router supports multiple wireless networks each of which can be devoted to a specific service with distinct parameters and security settings.

Reaching 1.6 million homes with its national network, Sonaecom currently offers a full range of triple play services to broadband subscribers. Portugal has one of the highest penetration rates of PayTV in Southern Europe and 1.4 million broadband access lines. Sonaecom delivers IPTV over an ADSL2+ infrastructure offering broadband speeds of 12 Mbps and 24 Mbps at euro 29.9 and euro 39.9 per month respectively. For a nominal price, consumers can purchase the Ruckus MediaFlex router and adapter to support location-free IPTV.

Sonaecom offers a complete triple play bundle and a variety of IPTV packages within its Clix SmarTV brand. Clix SmarTV includes a complete lineup of MPEG-2 broadcast television, video on demand and subscription video on demand with more than 100 channels and several entertainment packages including premium broadcast from Discovery Channel, Disney and movies from major Hollywood studios including Warner Bros and Buena Vista. The packages are priced from euro 8.9 to euro 34.5 per month.