At the end of last year, the WBA unveiled the Interoperability Compliance Program (ICP). This is its latest initiative that will streamline the way its members work together on a common set of technical and commercial frameworks for Wi-Fi roaming.
Some of the biggest names in the Wi-Fi ecosystem such as AT&T, Boingo Wireless, BT, KT, NTT DOCOMO, PCCW, Shaw Communications and True among others have confirmed their participation. They have already started working together on a self-assessment of their own networks in order to align technical and commercial features. The findings of this first set of trials will be ready in February 2013.
What difference will this ultimately make to the end user experience? In short, the ICP will allow key players across the Wi-Fi ecosystem to work together to deliver a faster and more simplified roaming business by facilitating interoperability between operators. It encourages operator members of the WBA to go that extra mile to expedite interoperability and consumers worldwide will ultimately benefit from a far superior connectivity experience, wherever they are.
This program will also promote the adoption of a common technical and commercial framework to be used by operators to endorse their compliancy and roaming capabilities in the community.
For more information on the ICP, come and see us at the WBA Wi-Fi Zone in Hall 8.1 at Mobile World Congress, or visit: https://wballiance.com/wba-initiatives/interoperability-compliance/
Tiago Rodrigues, Program Director, WBA
