Video54, which has been concentrating on smart antenna systems for wireless LANs, today is re-launching the company with an infusion of cash, a new name and the unveiling of its first publicly announced service provider customer.

Newly rechristened as Ruckus, the company is announcing that it has closed a $9 million funding round while also incorporating its technology in a multimedia gateway. Additionally, PCCW in Hong Kong has signed a deal to use those gateways.

“We’re really re-launching the company,” said David Logan, vice president of product development for Ruckus. “We’ve solved some pretty important technological issues.”

Ruckus’ new product is aimed squarely at the IPTV market and solving one of the more difficult challenges—getting IP video from the side of a house to the set-top box. Currently, telcos have a several options including rewiring homes with category 5 cable or using MOCA, Coaxsys or some other in-home high-speed technology.

“We believe consumers are going to want one network, and they’re going to want it to be WiFi,” Logan said. “We have found that the cables don’t necessarily exist in the places that consumers want them. At that point, it’s a cost and customer satisfaction issue.”

Many in the industry have indicated that moving to WiFi enabled set-tops is the ultimate goal. However, a number of basic technical issues, including establishing a path with something close to a constant bit rate, have prevented commercial implementation.

“We ensure that video has the appropriate treatment in the network regardless of how many streams are present,” Logan said, noting that the company also is using its smart antenna experience to prevent outside interference. ““We know all the different paths that are best to communicate, and focus all of our energies on those paths rather than being dumb to the client. We’ve also developed this tech on top of a b/g chip set, which means our cost points are very low.”

Initially, the company is expecting most of its traction to come from the Asian and European markets. However, Logan said, Ruckus is working with large carriers in the North American market, though it’s not expecting significant revenue from them for at least another year.

“In North America, I believe it’s going to be interest for us in 2006,” he said. “Less from a volume sense, but more from an architecture sense.”