By Claus Hetting, WiFi NOW CEO & Chairman
Cambium Networks cuts 54% of global workforce as restructuring enters insolvency phase in UK
At WiFi NOW, we’re heartbroken about the Cambium Networks situation. The company has been a WiFi NOW client for more than a decade and many Cambium staff are long-time personal friends and outstanding contributors to our event series and more. We – of course – wish them all the best going forward.
Cambium Networks has launched a sweeping global restructuring that includes cutting more than half of its worldwide workforce, while its UK subsidiary has entered formal administration proceedings.
According to a regulatory filing, Cambium eliminated 260 positions globally on September 11, equivalent to 53.6% of its workforce. The company said no severance payments were offered or made. Three days later, Cambium Networks Ltd, an indirect wholly owned UK subsidiary, entered administration in England and Wales. RSM UK Restructuring Advisory has been appointed administrator and is expected to seek buyers for assets, potentially including some or all of Cambium’s business lines.
Cambium Networks Corporation itself has not entered administration. The formal insolvency process applies to the UK subsidiary, but the restructuring is clearly much broader, with workforce reductions affecting the company globally. This raises serious questions for the future of Cambium Networks customers and partners. Cambium is active across enterprise and outdoor Wi-Fi, fixed wireless access through its ePMP portfolio, and the cnMaestro management platform.
Only recently, the company was promoting new cnMaestro MarketApps capabilities and reporting that more than 50,000 of its 6 GHz ePMP radios had shipped in North America. The key issue now is what happens to those businesses if administrators succeed in selling individual assets or product lines. Customers will be watching closely for clarity on software development, technical support, product roadmaps and channel relationships as the restructuring proceeds.
FCC conditional approvals become a new gate for US router vendors
The FCC’s new security review process for foreign-produced consumer routers is beginning to reshape access to the US networking market. In March, the FCC added routers produced in foreign countries to its Covered List unless they receive a ‘Conditional Approval’ from the US government following a national-security and supply-chain review. Those approvals can last for up to 18 months.
This week ASUS said it had secured Conditional Approval across its entire consumer router portfolio, allowing continued US import, marketing and sales while it prepares its next-generation Wi-Fi 8 products. The FCC’s current approval list includes ASUS RT, ROG, TUF Gaming, ExpertWiFi and ZenWiFi products, among others. Comtrend separately announced Conditional Approval for several of its broadband gateways, including the GRG-4366u Wi-Fi 7 XGS-PON ONT and VG-8043u Wi-Fi 7 gateway, allowing those devices to proceed through the normal FCC certification process for the US market.
The significance is that router vendors now face a second regulatory gate beyond traditional RF certification: security, ownership, and supply-chain scrutiny. That could increasingly influence which vendors can introduce new Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8 products in the US – and how quickly they can bring them to market. Access the FCC’s documentation here.
Morse Micro brings Wi-Fi HaLow to the Zephyr ecosystem
Wi-Fi HaLow silicon leader Morse Micro has joined the Zephyr Project, making its Wi-Fi HaLow software more readily accessible to developers using the widely adopted open-source real-time operating system for embedded devices.
Morse Micro says its Wi-Fi HaLow drivers and sample applications will be available to Zephyr developers, reducing the need for product teams to create, port and maintain a separate HaLow integration themselves. The objective is to provide a faster and more portable path from initial prototype to production-ready Wi-Fi HaLow devices.
The announcement is significant because one of the key challenges for Wi-Fi HaLow adoption is no longer demonstrating the technology’s long range or low-power capabilities, but making the technology easier to integrate into mainstream embedded products. Zephyr is already widely used across IoT, industrial, smart-home and sensor applications, so native access to Morse Micro’s HaLow software could materially lower development friction.
For Morse Micro, the move is another step toward building a broader development ecosystem around IEEE 802.11ah and making HaLow a more practical option for embedded IoT designers. Read more here.
KDDI uses 5G millimetre wave as backhaul for carrier-neutral Wi-Fi
Japan’s KDDI and Wi2 have commercially deployed a new Wi-Fi architecture at ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2026 that uses 28 GHz 5G millimetre wave as wireless backhaul for public Wi-Fi access.
The system uses vehicle-mounted 5G base stations and millimetre-wave repeaters to deliver high-capacity backhaul to CPE, which then feeds conventional Wi-Fi access points. The resulting service is carrier-neutral, meaning visitors can connect regardless of mobile operator and without needing a mmWave-capable smartphone. KDDI says the system is being used in heavily congested food and rest areas, where reliable connectivity is also supporting expanded mobile ordering and payments.
The deployment is interesting because it demonstrates a practical way for 5G and Wi-Fi to complement each other rather than compete. Millimetre wave provides high-capacity wireless backhaul that can be deployed rapidly at temporary venues, while Wi-Fi remains the universal access layer for consumer devices. KDDI is also deploying Starlink-backed Wi-Fi elsewhere at the festival, creating a mixed wireless architecture tailored to different venue requirements. Read more here.
Colorado Convention Center begins major Wi-Fi 7 upgrade
Smart City Networks has been awarded a new three-year agreement, with a two-year extension option, to continue as the exclusive technology services provider at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The agreement includes an immediate upgrade to Wi-Fi 7, with deployment scheduled for completion during 2027. Smart City Networks has worked with the venue since 1998 and already operates more than 860 access points across 2.2 million square feet of coverage.
The Wi-Fi 7 upgrade is intended to increase capacity and improve performance for large conventions, trade shows, and other high-density events, where thousands of users may simultaneously rely on mobile ticketing, live streaming, point-of-sale systems and exhibitor connectivity.
The project is another sign that Wi-Fi 7 is moving rapidly into large public venues, where additional spectrum efficiency and 6 GHz capacity can be particularly valuable. Smart City Networks says it has already deployed Wi-Fi 7 at convention centres in San Antonio and Miami Beach.
/Claus.
