Google is working with Ruckus Wireless to build a Wi-Fi network in the cloud

Google is working with Wi-Fi equipment maker Ruckus Wireless to build a large-scale Wi-Fi network in the cloud off of which any business could hang its wireless routers, according to a source familiar with the project who asked not to be named.

Google has been working closely with Ruckus, trialing a new software-based wireless controller that virtualizes the management functions of the Wi-Fi network in the cloud, according to a source. The end result would be a nationwide -- or even global -- network that any business could join and any Google customer could access. The source also confirmed earlier reports that:

• Google will offer the service to businesses for free as long as they agree to join its public network, though businesses will have to supply their own broadband connections.
• Hotspot 2.0 will have a big role to play in the network, connecting smartphones and tablets automatically and securely to any Google-powered access point, much like they would connect to their mobile carrier’s 3G of 4G network.
• Google will be able to provide analytics to businesses about consumers that use networks, separating out location-specific information from the data collected by the virtual network as a whole.