Wi-Fi as a technology carries a vast range of benefits; a fact underlined by an ABI Research report which found 1.5 billion Wi-Fi enabled devices shipped in 2012.

Historically, Wi-Fi has been faster than cellular data and from an end-user perspective, this has been the primary advantage of the technology. Wi-Fi hotspots have filled the holes of the cellular network, which has been inhibited by the pace of technological advancements.

4G has dramatically changed this dynamic, with speeds meeting and – in some cases – exceeding fixed line connections and so as the fourth iteration of cellular data continues to become the standard, end-users are no longer looking to Wi-Fi to meet their demands. Instead, the cellular companies (cellcos) are now turning to Wi-Fi to meet a different set of demands.

According to the Visual Networking Index from Cisco, global mobile data traffic reached 885 petabytes per month by the end of 2012, representing a 70 per cent increase in just one year. Furthermore, the company forecasts that this figure will reach a staggering ten exabytes by 2017.

As the fourth generation of mobile communications firmly starts to dig its roots into global infrastructure, mobile operators are waking up to the reality that the demands on cellular networks are set to continue dwarfing supply. This has caused the industry to re-evaluate how it distributes data amongst its assets.

Enter stage right: Wi-Fi

The inherent benefits of Wi-Fi are an appealing solution to the bandwidth problem. Wi-Fi is fast, reliable, secure and most importantly, cheap. Rather than spending billions on squeezing every last drop out of the mobile spectrum, the industry is making a concerted effort to offload a significant portion of its cellular data traffic onto Wi-Fi networks.

Cellcos across the globe are widely in agreement that to meet network demands, the answer is to offload traffic to Wi-Fi networks. Thanks to cooperative efforts of most the key players in the industry, this possibility is taking leaps and bounds towards becoming a reality. However, before this new world of Wi-Fi roaming can be brought to market, a series of significant challenges have to first be addressed.

From a consumer perspective, the most essential aspect of Wi-Fi offload technology is that it works with as little disruption as possible. Historically, as security increases, user convenience decreases and this has certainly been the case with Wi-Fi. The single biggest obstacle standing between carriers and effective Wi-Fi offloading is the ability to seamlessly pass devices between access points without users have to re-authenticate each time.

The Future: Enter Seamless Session Transfer

Seamless Session Transfer (SST) is a technology which aims to overcome these obstacles, by allowing devices to maintain connectivity when roaming between Wi-Fi networks. Rather than users having to login to a Wi-Fi network, a user will be authorised via credentials held on their SIM card. It will not only allow users to seamlessly pass between Wi-Fi networks, but it will pass data off to cellular networks too.

For the cellcos, this means that they can hand a significant proportion of their traffic off to a network which is reliable, robust, fast and, comparative to cellular infrastructure, very cheap to deploy. It will open up new revenue streams for Hotspot companies, as relationships between cellcos and Wi-Fi providers begin to emerge.

From a consumer perspective, it means that – for the first time – people will be able to experience the fastest network available to them at all times, with absolutely no intervention on their part.

Laying the groundwork

While the framework for seamless roaming is still being finalised, the vast majority of mobile operators are taking proactive steps to prepare for the future of Wi-Fi offloading. Many cellcos are rapidly expanding their own Wi-Fi hotspots while others are partnering with public Wi-Fi providers. This is proving a quick and effective way to increase Wi-Fi footprints.

Rather than simply preparing for upcoming roaming environments, cellcos are already making good use of their Wi-Fi networks by using application-based switching to allow their customers access to these Hotspot networks. By downloading an app, users can switch between access points without manually reconnecting.

While this is proving a useful stop gap, the process relies on the applications, which can vary in design and quality, to preserve the device’s IP address. Ultimately this can have a negative effect on user experience. It also limits the user to staying within a ‘home network’ and therefore, cannot provide a true roaming experience.

Moments away from an interconnected revolution

Wi-Fi roaming technology is set to be one of the most disruptive since the proliferation of cellular data, allowing people to access truly broadband like experiences from their devices, wherever they are.

It is a situation where everyone will win – the network operators will alleviate the pressure on their networks and potentially save billions on infrastructure investment, consumers will get better service and may see a reduction in the costs, while society will take its biggest step ever towards becoming truly ‘always connected’.