Jisc is a membership organisation which provides UK research and education with shared digital infrastructure and services, such as the superfast Janet Network, as well as offering trusted advice and guidance. They also negotiate sector-wide deals and frameworks with IT vendors, to help their members save time and money. In the federated roaming space, Jisc operate eduroam and govroam in the UK to the benefit of the education and public sectors. Learn more about the company by visiting their official website.

The Wireless Broadband Alliance is proud to welcome Jisc as a member, and we recently sat down with Jeremy Sharp, Janet Chief Technology Officer at Jisc, to learn a bit more about the organisation.

Can you tell us a little bit about Jisc and your work in the wireless/Wi-Fi industry?

Jisc is the UK higher, further education and skills sectors’ not-for-profit membership organisation for digital services and solutions. We champion the importance and potential of digital technologies for UK education and research and do three main things: we operate shared digital infrastructure and services, for example the Janet network; we negotiate sector-wide deals with IT vendors and commercial publishers; and we provide trusted advice and practical assistance for universities, colleges and learning providers.

In the world of wireless technology and services we provide two key national roaming services: for education and research, eduroam, and for the broader public sector, govroam. Jisc also provides a range of advice associated with deployment best practice and technology, particularly around education and research use cases of emerging standards. Across the education sector the student experience is key, and it has been known for wireless services provision to be a factor in students’ choice of university!

Federated roaming is a key focus area for Jisc. What are some challenges and opportunities currently facing this space, and how does Jisc address them?

Jisc was one of the first nations globally to launch a national eduroam service, 18 years ago, and it is now used by over 560 organisations in the UK across nearly 2000 locations. This includes all UK universities and many further education colleges.

eduroam has been a transformational technology in many ways for tertiary education. One of the big benefits is that students and staff benefit from a single log-in as they move between campuses, which means they use a single username and password for seamless Wi-Fi access from all eduroam-enabled locations. eduroam works whether they’re using a mobile, laptop, or other device, and it gives them access not just to the internet but also to the teaching and learning resources they need, all with a secure connection.

As eduroam is an international service, staff and students benefit from the same seamless access to the internet when they visit institutions around the world for teaching, learning and research. When international students with an eduroam account arrive at a UK university, they too can get straight on the Wi-Fi network and start communicating with home right away.

An important issue in the UK at the moment, and one brought into sharp focus in the pandemic, has been data poverty amongst students. Whilst eduroam can’t solve the provision of good quality and affordable internet access on its own, it can play a part if it is enabled in more publicly accessible locations on existing Wi-Fi services. Whilst there is still much to do in this space there are some notable successes; for example, a collaboration between Cambridge City Council, the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University and Cambridge Regional College invested in wireless network access points in open spaces across the city, expanding the reach of eduroam.

How has Jisc navigated the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and how is 2021 looking for your organization?

Jisc staff, like many organisations across the UK and globally, found themselves having to work from home. The transition was literally overnight without time to prepare. Luckily Jisc has a very mobile workforce and, as a specialist in the provision of digital services, was already set up to enable staff to continue to work and deliver our services and support to our members and customers at such a difficult time for them.

A number of UK universities were involved in supporting the setup of Nightingale hospitals, extending connectivity to Janet and in some cases the eduroam and govroam services. Health Boards in Wales have also been making use of govroam availability at temporary COVID vaccination centres set up in government sites, and are finding it a “brilliant” way to keep their teams connected. Jisc has been fully behind these efforts and has been involved in providing advice, guidance and support.

2021 will certainly be a challenging year for Jisc but we have managed to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and remain focused and committed to supporting our members and customers across tertiary education, research and the public sector.

What are your overall goals as a new member of WBA, and what do you ultimately hope to get out of your membership? 

Jisc is excited to be a member of the WBA and is keen to ensure that education and research perspectives are represented, particularly as these sectors have been pioneering adopters at scale of new mobile technologies at the early stages of development.

There is also an opportunity to ensure the ongoing relevance and interoperability of education sector solutions within the wider ecosystem of mobile providers, and to this end we would like to identify relevant partners for future innovation in the education space.