London, UK, October 26, 2023 — The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) today announced the winners of its 11th WBA Industry Awards, which honors the most significant innovations and achievements from across the Wi-Fi ecosystem. The award winners were announced during the WBA’s Wireless Global Congress, which is taking place at Porte de Versailles in Paris and online between 23rd – 26th October 2023. Award submissions were judged by an independent panel of leading analysts and industry experts.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “The innovation and creativity that we have seen across this year’s winners has been astounding. Wi-Fi is being used in new ways to make it easier for people, businesses and systems across the world to connect, share information and have better online experiences. We’d like to congratulate everybody involved in this year’s awards, including the judging panel – the standard of entries was very high and choosing the winners was no easy task.”
Registration for access to the on-demand sessions at Congress can be completed here: https://wballiance.com/wba-industry-awards/.
Here are the 2022 WBA Industry Award winners, along with excerpts from the judges’ decisions:
Best Wi-Fi Network Operator Award
Winning entry: KT Corporation – KT Wi-Fi 7 & All-in-One Wi-Fi Services
“As the leading Internet and IPTV service provider in Korea, KT has once again brought leading-edge innovations to its home subscribers with all-in-one Genie Soundbar system that seamlessly ties together Wi-Fi connectivity and IPTV services via a visually appealing all-in-one Genie Soundbar system that integrates Wi-Fi 7 access point, IPTV set-top box, and Dolby speaker system. The integrated video and audio system with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity exemplifies the company’s dedication to continuous Wi-Fi innovations that benefit its customers.”
Best Wi-Fi Network Technology Award
Winning entry: TIP OpenWiFi – TIP OpenWiFi Opens the Door to Better Wi-Fi Technology
“TIP OpenWiFi seems to hit the market at the right time! Addressing vendor lock, coupled with shortages in parts and other supply chain problems, OpenWiFi enabled operators to source hardware solutions from different vendors and use OpenWiFi for management. From that perspective, it scores high on technical and business innovation. It is also having good market traction. The impact on user experience is secondary since it’s a solution that addresses vendors’ and operators’ needs first.”
Best In-Home Wi-Fi Network Award
Winning entry: Ambeent and Vodafone – Real-Time Engagement and Hyper-Personalization: Ambeent and Vodafone’s Customer-Centric Solutions
“Great machine learning and AI technology supporting interference reduction which can have a massive impact on customer experience especially in MDUs.”
Best Enterprise Wi-Fi Network Award
Winning entry: Huawei, Shenzhen Talent Institute – Huawei Helps Shenzhen Talent Institute Deploy High-Quality Wi-Fi 7 Networks
“Huawei’s new Wi-Fi 7 AP showcases the company’s many innovations, including intelligent antenna tuning, dynamic 5GHz and 6GHz band switching, extended backhaul/power infrastructure, and IoT sensing capabilities to meet the growing traffic demands at many enterprise locations. The outstanding technical innovations demonstrated in the Wi-Fi 7 installation at Shenzhen Talent Institute can be scaled at other high-demanding enterprise locations worldwide through the company’s global presence.”
Best Wi-Fi for Social Impact Award
Winning entry: TIP OpenWiFi – Opens the Door to Digital Equity–A Perfect Public Private Partnership Solution for Social Impact
“TIP OpenWiFi, coupled with OpenRoaming, stands out as a user-friendly, cost-effective, and scalable public Wi-Fi solution that promotes multi-vendor interoperability and avoids vendor lock-in. It effectively meets the stringent TCO requirements of social good Wi-Fi initiatives.”
Best Wi-Fi for Innovation Award
Winning entry: Airties – The Hybrid Cloud-Edge Architecture of Airties Smart Wi-Fi Solution
“Airties introduces an innovative solution addressing multiple challenges through its hybrid cloud-edge approach. This evolution intelligently distributes processing tasks, minimizing latency and conserving backhaul volume on devices when necessary.”
Best Wi-Fi Customer Experience Award
Winning entry: Cognitive Systems Corp. – Cognitive Systems Best Wi-Fi Experience 2023
“Innovative use of Wi-Fi for motion sensing to enable new services in the home, offering value-add services with no additional hardware whilst building in customer retention for ISPs and telcos.”
CTO of the Year
Winning entry: Matt MacPherson, Cisco – Leadership, vision, and a commitment to providing better wireless experiences for all
“Matt’s contributions are outstanding, with a profound impact on technology advancements, standards, and Wi-Fi connectivity for millions of users worldwide. As a recognized authority and visionary in the industry, he excels in delivering solutions and creating innovative business models. Matt’s achievements are truly commendable, and we celebrate his well-deserved CTO of the Year Award.”
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 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 undertakes programs and activities to address business and technical challenges, while exploring opportunities for its member companies. These initiatives encompass standards development, industry guidelines, trials, certification, and advocacy. Its key programs include NextGen Wi-Fi, OpenRoaming, 5G, IoT, Smart Cities, 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.
Membership in the WBA includes major operators, service providers, enterprises, hardware and software vendors, and other prominent companies that support the ecosystems from around the world. The WBA Board comprises influential organizations such as Airties, AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Boldyn Networks, Broadcom, BT, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Intel, Reliance Jio, Turk Telekom, and Viasat.
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