I remember Zhone for their copper products. I used their ADSL modems which I think came with the Paradyne acquisition. Originally AT&T Paradyne.
On September 15, 2026 8:15:22 PM CDT, Mike Hammett <[email protected]> wrote: >*nods* Mimosa and Zhone were both bought by huge (if not their biggest) >customers. > >Who's Cambium's biggest customer? > > > > >-- >Mike Hammett > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Ken Hohhof" <[email protected]> >To: "AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group" <[email protected]> >Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 2:48:03 PM >Subject: Re: [AFMUG] RIP Cambium Networks? > > > > > >Perhaps wise precautions, especially if your exposure is primarily >enterprise/consumer WiFi and FTTH as opposed to FWA. But “Cambium as a whole >is on life support and only has weeks left” may be overblown. > > > >Hey, Mimosa is still around. New owner, but still around. And I wouldn’t put >Mimosa in the same class with Cambium. > > > >And news that a company these days cut staff by 50% isn’t that shocking. I >just hope they didn’t let AI decide who to fire, DOGE-style. Available info >suggests a more strategic restructuring. That’s the part that hasn’t yet been >fully revealed. > > > >I think Cambium felt they had to become an everything company like Ubiquiti, >but couldn’t pull it off. Look at Tarana on the other hand, which is pretty >much a one trick pony. In the long run, which is the best business strategy? >Hard to tell. Especially with VC and PE money that sometimes funds stupid >stuff. > > > > >From: AF <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Zach Underwood >Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 1:14 PM >To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [AFMUG] RIP Cambium Networks? > > > >We are treating Cambium as a whole is on life support and only has weeks left. > > * We have told vendors where we have pending orders of cambium wifi APs > not to ship us any. > * We are standing up on site cnmaestro server in one of our datacenters > * We are working with what staff is left to get permanent licenses for our > over 8k APs. > * We are already having talks with Extreme and Arista about their wifi APs > and controllers. > * We got our first xgpon project using cambium that should go live before > the end of the year, we are now looking for other vendors. > > > > > > >On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 1:32 PM Ken Hohhof < [email protected] > wrote: > > > > >Go to their reception but put some money in the tip jar? > > > >But gallows humor aside, it’s probably difficult walking the thin line between >“business as usual” and “being frugal”. A robust trade show presence might be >important both for customers and potential buyers assuming they’re trying to >find a buyer for part or all of the business. It doesn’t help preserve the >asset value for creditors if you stop selling your products. > > > >If I’m understanding the situation correctly, the UK subsidiary is in >“administration”, but Cambium Networks the parent is a US corporation and not >in bankruptcy proceedings at least at this time. It seems clear that top >management waited too long to take some extreme cost cutting measures, either >some creditors forced their hand, or they literally couldn’t keep the lights >on and make payroll, like a pilot who ejects just as the plane hits the >ground. The cashflow situation couldn’t have been a mystery, so I doubt they >were counting on booking some big sale or a bunch of BEAD driven revenue. One >could speculate they have been trying to sell off some parts or the business >or some product lines or maybe the whole company, and they just ran out of >time. Maybe they thought they had a buyer and it fell through. Although it’s >common for buyers to make the seller do the bloodletting before the sale. > > > >Anyway, I am not familiar with the UK version of bankruptcy. I’ve had some >customers in Chapter 11 here in the US. They were actually good risks because >all expenses had to be approved by an administrator or the bank or something >so the checks were like cashiers checks, they never bounced, all expenses were >pre approved and the cash was already there. Money owed from before they >declared bankruptcy was another story. > > > >So in the US we have Chapter 11 which is usually “Debtor in Possession” where >management continues running the business but needs outside approval for any >major expenses. Or the company can be run by an outside administrator or >trustee representing the creditors. Then there is Chapter 7 which is >liquidation. I get the impression that administration in this case is either >like Chapter 11 with outsiders running the company, or Chapter 7, not sure >which. They make it sound like a store that has closed and they’re selling off >the fixtures to make partial payments to creditors. > > > >I think Cambium had or has R&D in Ashburton. I’m not sure what they did there, >and if it’s part of the UK subsidiary. Presumably that goes back to the >Orthogon acquisition, but I don’t know what else they might have designed >there. I know when I buy PMP450 or ePMP products, the box says Cambium >Networks, Ashburton, UK. For all I know they were just assigning the revenue >to their UK subsidiary to dodge US income taxes. Not sure that matters if >you’re reporting a loss. > > > >I will say I’ve done my part recently to help Cambium survive, I’ve bought >several license or unlock keys, which I assume are high margin if not pure >profit items. Kind of like contributing to the Cambium GoFundMe. Unfortunately >my company is very small so I can’t make much of a dent in their payroll or >rent or utility bills. > > > >Probably the WISPAPALOOZA costs have already been paid. They still have to pay >travel and lodging to staff the booth and other events. Maybe they can fly >Spirit Airlines? I’m guessing they will show up. Whether to sell products or >to sell the whole company, they have to put a team on the field and score some >points. It sounds like some product lines might be getting the axe. In which >case they would be furiously reworking their trade show strategy. Promoting a >product you’re discontinuing would not be good. > > > >If I were going (I’ve never gone to the Vegas shows and I’m not going to start >now at age 76), I would be grilling them about things like EVO and 450v/ePMP >convergence, which is a story I never bought in the first place. They handed >the Cambium QOE product back to Bequant, so they seem open to revising some of >their plans, maybe not trying to be everything to everybody. Maybe the best >thing show attendees can do to help Cambium is to give their product managers >and top mgmt our unvarnished view of what they need to do and not do. Steve >Jobs was famous for selling people things they didn’t yet know they needed. I >don’t think anybody at Cambium right now is a Steve Jobs. We’ve all seen >things at stores that any random person on the street could look at and say >that will never sell, that’s a stupid idea. And we’ve all seen radios that any >field tech could say is poorly designed and a pain in the butt to install. Or >radios that no residential customer would let us install on their house. >Cambium can’t afford any mistakes like that. Although I have to remember they >have government customers who are not like WISPs. > > > >Brutally honest feedback from customers might be the best help they could get >right now. Just my opinion, worth every penny you paid for it. > > > > >From: AF < [email protected] > On Behalf Of Cameron Crum >Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 10:10 AM >To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group < [email protected] > >Subject: Re: [AFMUG] RIP Cambium Networks? > > > >Sadly, I think you are correct. > > > >On Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 7:01 AM David Hannum via AF < [email protected] > wrote: > > > >I guess that means I should make alternative dinner plans for Monday night at >WISPAPALOOZA as Cambium had a reception planned . . . . We'll see . . . > > > >On Mon, Sep 14, 2026 at 5:45 PM Josh Luthman < [email protected] > >wrote: > > > >Half of the company was fired - no severance pay. > > > >On Mon, Sep 14, 2026 at 1:16 AM Ken Hohhof < [email protected] > wrote: > > > >This seems to be news out of the UK and from one person who has been let go. >Some of the statements would seem to apply globally, but maybe we should wait >for the light of day and see what comes out. > > > >This may be the source for some of the speculation: > >https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/09/wireless-uk-broadband-company-cambium-networks-falls-into-administration.html > > >It sounds like administration is Brit speak for what we would call Chapter 11? >But also they’re talking about the UK subsidiary. > > > >Years ago I worked at a company that did an IPO and I learned from all the >nonsense on the Yahoo message boards not to assume everyone knew what they >were talking about. Like big news flash, the board meeting was moved to >Florida. Well, it was because one board member has an ear infection and >couldn’t fly. Then some amateur sleuth discovered the board meeting was >extended by a day. Turns out since it was moved to Florida, some on the board >wanted a day to play golf. Then the CEO sold some stock. Reason was he was >building a fancy new house. > > > >Maybe the speculation is all true. Nothing I would do in response can’t wait a >few days. Unless you’re placing bets on prediction markets. > > > > >From: AF < [email protected] > On Behalf Of Colin Stanners >Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2026 10:30 PM >To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group < [email protected] > >Subject: [AFMUG] RIP Cambium Networks? > > > >It seems to be RIP for Cambium Networks, born in 2011 (when the >Canopy/Orthogon products were spun off from Motorola, who had started selling >those around 2002) to 2026. As well as its acquisitions Orthogon / PipingHot >Networks and Xirrus. > > > >https://www.linkedin.com/posts/carljefferys_cambium-networks-appears-to-have-collapsed-share-7505055774495100929-X72q/ > > > > >https://blog.j2sw.com/technology/an-open-letter-about-the-implosion-of-cambium-networks/ > > > > >When I started in the WISP industry around 20 years ago, I found their >products' good engineering, reliability and scalability a wonderful asset to >help build a WISP. Since that time the products have increased greatly in >bandwidth capability and the company's products and its hard-working employees >have been a big contributor of my work life. > > > >Unless something magical comes in to save them, this will be then end and a >big loss for the industry and a big reconsideration for our networks. > >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > > > > > >-- > >Zach Underwood (RHCE,RHCSA,RHCT,UACA) > >My website > >advance-networking.com >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > >-- >AF mailing list >[email protected] >http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
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