The Wireless Broadband Alliance is comprised of members who have come together to achieve a common goal: delivering an outstanding user experience thought next-generation Wi-Fi. We’re very proud to introduce you to these members, and give you a glimpse into their role within the WBA and the wireless ecosystem.
This week, we’re profiling GlobalReach Technology – Mark Williamson, CEO, sat down with us and answered a few questions:
Mark Williamson, CEO, GlobalReach Technology.
Tell us a bit about GlobalReach Technology, and its role within the wireless ecosystem.
GlobalReach develops Wi-Fi software – primarily AAA authentication, captive portal onboarding software and analytics. We’re focused on providing the ‘best-in-class’ software for international service providers. We’ve been around for six years, but our team is comprised of members who have more than 15 years of experience in the ecosystem.
We have a proven track-record for the services we’ve provided to major carriers, including the London Underground and Virgin Media. We’ve also provided services to cities around the world, such San Jose, San Francisco, and New York City. In essence, we’re very much about a scalable, proven authentication service for Wi-Fi clients.
What do you see as being the ‘hot topics’ in the ecosystem over the next 12 months?
There’s a real drive for quality when it comes to outdoor Wi-Fi. On the service provider side of things, there can be a challenge to scale the services in order to meet the demand of the number of devices that are connecting to the Wi-Fi. Additionally, the way that end users are connecting to the Wi-Fi – whether it’s through captive portals or the emerging Hotspot 2.0 – is a very important aspect to consider.
Why has being a member of the WBA been beneficial to GlobalReach, and why would you recommend becoming a member to other companies?
For GlobalReach, being a member of the WBA has been great. We’re a leader when it comes to Hotspot 2.0, and we have the first online sign-up server that matches the Hotspot 2.0 credentials for all of the major operating systems. To that end, the WBA is very much at the heart of Wi-Fi service providers, which has been very helpful to us as a company.
The fact is, the community is growing at a very fast rate and across all of the service providers, there’s a need for standardization in the ecosystem. Coming together and talking about standards, and sharing relevant ideas, is very important to us all. The WBA gives us this opportunity, which can only help to strengthen the ecosystem.
For more information about GlobalReach, please visit the company website at http://www.globalreachtech.com, or follow @globalreachtech
