PRESS RELEASE
New “Link Your World” campaign kicks off with goal of connecting Cuba
Rushden, UK – April 21, 2015 – Linksys®, a leader in networking solutions for the home and small and medium business, today announced it has sold more than 100 million wired and wireless routers globally. Linksys pioneered the home router back in December 1999 when it shipped the first consumer grade router, the EtherFast Broadband Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port Switch – BEFSR41. This router revolutionised how consumers would share an Internet connection in their home. Today, 16 years later and with more than 60 different routers connecting hundreds of millions of people and devices to the Internet, Linksys has hit the milestone few technology products have achieved.
“The 100 million milestone of any product is something to celebrate,” said Mike Chen, vice president, product management, Linksys. “For a router to hit this accomplishment in the same company as smartphones, game consoles, MP3 players, tablets and e-readers shows how crucial sharing an Internet connection has become. When Linksys introduced the first consumer grade router at Comdex in 1999, we never would have imagined it would have such a critical role for connecting the Internet of Things in the home.”
According to forecasts by Industry Research firm IDC, by 2017, consumers worldwide will be using 9.8 billion devices capable of connecting to a home network router. The router has evolved over the past 16 years from wired routers to the different wireless standards – Wireless-B, wireless-G, Wireless-N, and Wireless-AC with the latest technology enhancements with Triband and MU-MIMO technology, which Linksys plans to ship first in a few weeks. Throughout the history of network connections in the home, Linksys has been a part of it all.
In keeping with its industry-leading approach, Linksys will be rolling out a global promotion called “Link Your World” that will help educate people about the value and importance that a router and wireless access plays in daily life at home, on the go or at work. Linksys plans to roll out interactive programs and contests on Linksys.com and across its social media sites, as well as with retailers and value-added resellers. Additionally, Linksys is in discussions with the U.S. State Department and other officials to obtain guidance that would permit distribution of wireless routers in Cuba, all in an effort to help with the financial and technological obstacles that currently block expanding Web access throughout the country. The company plans to be on the forefront of connecting Cuba, taking the “Link Your World” campaign globally.
“While we celebrate today's milestone, we must also remember that our work is not done. As we kick off the Link Your World campaign, we are setting a goal for ourselves and our partners to better connect people in Cuba with each other and with the rest of the world,” said CEO, Chet Pipkin. “There is an opportunity here to develop and drive growth within Cuba. We believe that recent policy changes make this effort more viable, and we look forward to working with our industry partners and government officials to achieve this important goal.”
It has taken 15 years to hit the 100 million mark with the help of consumers, retail partners, channel partners, technology partners and media and analysts. Media who have been writing about Linksys since the first router launch in December 1999 have provided some comments about the Linksys 100 million router milestone:
- “100 million of anything is impressive. And for routers, it's even more so. It's only fitting that the company that launched the consumer networking market with the original four-port $200 BEFSR41 Linky (that you can still buy today!) has first reached this milestone. Congratulations!” – Tim Higgins, Small Net Builder
- “It's hard to believe, but back in 1999 many people scoffed at home networking, saying it was too complicated. That's because it was, at least until a small company ran by Victor and Janie Tsao, called Linksys, introduced a new device that simplified the entire process of connecting multiple devices in the home. A hundred million routers later, the home router stands tall in the annals of consumer technology as an important invention that helped usher in the arrival of the broadband economy around the world. – Mike Wolf, NextMarket
- “From its first wired router to the latest Wi-Fi devices, Linksys has defined the limits of home networking. If you want to fill a home or office with data, they have a way -- or two -- to do it.” – Brian Nadel, SCI-Tech Perspectives and Freelancer
Linksys continues to be at the leading edge of advancing the router and its capabilities and will continue to push the envelope to bring faster, more seamless and ubiquitous Wi-Fi in homes and offices around the world.
Check out the timeline infographic of all the routers we’ve developed and launched over the years that got Linksys to the 100 million milestone today.
About Linksys
The Linksys brand has pioneered wireless connectivity since its inception in 1988 with its leading innovation and engineering strategies, and best-in-class technology, design, and customer service. Linksys enables a connected lifestyle for people at home, at work and on the move, and with its award-winning products, simplifies home control, entertainment, security and Internet access through innovative features and a growing application and partner ecosystem. Linksys is part of Belkin International. For more information, visit linksys.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or watch us on YouTube.
