New OpenWiFi initiative from Telecom Infra Project adopts OpenRoaming Wi-Fi roaming standard to facilitate seamless Wi-Fi roaming connectivity
London – May 5th, 2021: The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has announced that Telecom Infra Project (TIP), an initiative focused on accelerating the pace of innovation in the telecom industry worldwide, has adopted the WBA OpenRoaming™ standard for its soon-to-be-launched OpenWiFi initiative. TIP’s adoption of WBA OpenRoaming will accelerate the adoption of the standard, which will allow users to securely roam from location to location without the need for logins, registrations or passwords.
OpenWiFi, which will be officially launched at a dedicated online event on 12th May, aims to reimagine the way Wi-Fi networks are built and deployed. The project will leverage open-source development and automated testing to allow Wi-Fi service providers to confidently deploy access points, cloud controllers and smart analytics from different vendors.
The vision for the WBA OpenRoaming Wi-Fi roaming standard is that the world will become a single, giant Wi-Fi network, allowing billions of people and their devices to connect automatically and securely to millions of Wi-Fi networks around the world. The standard was introduced in early 2020 and has high-profile backers including AT&T, Boingo, Broadcom, Cisco, Commscope, Deutsche Telekom, Facebook, Google, Intel, Net Experience and Samsung. A cross-industry survey announced in November 2020 showed that 79 per cent of organizations planned to adopt OpenRoaming.
“WBA OpenRoaming is a strong complement to OpenWiFi as both projects are designed to remove barriers to connectivity,” said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of Wireless Broadband Alliance. “The WBA and TIP are both envisioning a world, hopefully not too far away, where digital connectivity becomes simpler and more streamlined for the entire ecosystem of communications service providers, OEMs, enterprises and consumers. We hope that the global technology and communications industry will join us on May 12th to hear more about OpenWiFi and the role of WBA OpenRoaming within it.”
”The WBA’s collaboration with TIP has been key to the community’s development of “out-of-the-box” support for OpenRoaming on OpenWiFi. OpenRoaming benefits service providers and network users alike, extending cellular connectivity onto Wi-Fi networks, while providing a seamless network roaming experience for people,” said David Hutton, Chief Engineer of TIP.
About the Wireless Broadband Alliance
Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is the global organization that connects people with the latest Wi-Fi initiatives. Founded in 2003, the vision of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is to drive seamless, interoperable service experiences via Wi-Fi within the global wireless ecosystem. WBA’s mission is to enable collaboration between service providers, technology companies, cities, regulators and organizations to achieve that vision. WBA’s membership is comprised of major operators, identity providers and leading technology companies across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision.
WBA undertakes programs and activities to address business and technical issues, as well as opportunities, for member companies. WBA work areas include standards development, industry guidelines, trials, certification and advocacy. Its key programs include NextGen Wi-Fi, OpenRoaming, 5G, IoT, Testing & Interoperability and Policy & Regulatory Affairs, with member-led Work Groups dedicated to resolving standards and technical issues to promote end-to-end services and accelerate business opportunities.
The WBA Board includes AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Broadcom, BT, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom AG, GlobalReach Technology, Google, Intel, Reliance Jio, SK Telecom and Viasat. For the complete list of current WBA members, click here.
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About the Telecom Infra Project
The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is a global community of companies and organizations that are driving infrastructure solutions to advance global connectivity. Half of the world’s population is still not connected to the internet, and for those who are, connectivity is often insufficient. This limits access to the multitude of consumer and commercial benefits provided by the internet, thereby impacting GDP growth globally. However, a lack of flexibility in the current solutions – exacerbated by a limited choice in technology providers – makes it challenging for operators to efficiently build and upgrade networks. Founded in 2016, TIP is a community of diverse participants that includes hundreds of companies – from service providers and technology partners, to systems integrators and other connectivity stakeholders. We are working together to develop, test and deploy open, disaggregated, and standards-based solutions that deliver the high quality connectivity that the world needs – now and in the decades to come. Find out more: www.telecominfraproject.com
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