As all of us consume mobile data which has sparked an interest from operators to use public Wi-Fi to help alleviate the burden.
WBA’s Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) initiative is giving us, along with many other major operators and vendors, a chance to test new innovative login procedures and simpler connectivity. This will help simplify login and support roaming agreements as well as establish inter-operator relationships so end users have a much wider variety of hotspots available to them. The trials we are participating in allow us to test a variety of authentication methods for the growing proliferation of SIM and non SIM-based devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and legacy phones. Our end goal is to give automatic hotspot access to as many individuals as possible, without the need to enter usernames and passwords. With the latest prediction of a rise from 1.3 million hotspots in 2011 to 5.8 million by 2015 (not including “community hotspots” which add another 4.5 million worldwide), the WBA trials and future NGH deployments will prove to be an exciting opportunity for all involved.
