Operator-Managed Wi-Fi (OMWi) Program

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has formally entered a new chapter with the launch of the Operator-Managed Wi-Fi (OMWi) compliance certification program. This first milestone introduces the program’s initial three test cases and confirms successful validation of Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) from Airties, Nokia, and Heights Telecom. Together, these achievements lay the groundwork for consistent, industry-wide standards in operator-managed Wi-Fi.

At Wireless Global Congress EMEA in October, during the WBA Members-Only Working Sessions, teams from Airties, Nokia and Heights Telecom gathered to begin what will become the full-fledged WBA OMWi Compliance Certification Program. The group prepared a dedicated test environment, connecting a local laptop to CPEs from each participating vendor and executing the first 3 test modules under this Program.

Figure 1 – OMWi reference architecture diagram

This first round of testing addressed on the “Configuration” block of the OMWi Reference Architecture, validating core elements such as CPE onboarding and metrics collection. These fundamentals are essential for ensuring interoperability, predictable performance, and scalable management across residential Wi-Fi ecosystems. Before exploring the test results and upcoming phases, it is useful to revisit the OMWi reference architecture and the objectives driving this work.

In total, 17 test modules are planned and due to be fully launched in 2026. Of these, 3 modules have already been developed and were successfully executed for the first time during the EMEA session.

(1) Operator Managed Wi-Fi (OMWi)

The OMWi program provides the reference architecture and a set of requirements that enable fixed-broadband operators and their equipment vendors to deploy, manage and optimize residential Wi-Fi networks in a scalable, interoperable way.

Its objectives include reducing fragmentation across proprietary systems, lower operational cost, increasing customer satisfaction through enhanced in-home Wi-Fi experience and enabling remote diagnostics, telemetry, multi-AP/multi-device mesh environments and faster innovation via open standards.

OMWi serves as a blueprint for defining how operators can take control of the in-home Wi-Fi user experience — by defining how devices communicate, how Wi-Fi can be managed, how data is collected, how firmware updates and security are handled. It aligns vendors around widely adopted protocols (e.g., via Wi‑Fi Alliance EasyMesh™, Broadband Forum USP Data Models TR-369/TR-181) to ensure multiple vendors and equipment coexistence.

Figure 2 – OMWi reference architecture diagram

By adopting this framework, operators worldwide can deliver higher service quality, customer experience, reduce support overhead, reduce vendor lock-in, and enable new digital services, such as smart home or IoT offering with greater speed and consistency.

(2) What We Aim to Achieve with This Testing

The OMWi compliance testing initiative is designed to deliver:

• A test regime that can be run locally with minimal setup, typically a laptop connected via Ethernet to a residential gateway with extender.
• A suite of automated scripts and modules that verify compliance with the OMWi specification across various operational scenarios.
• A validation tool that supports reproducibility, transparency, and multi-vendor neutrality.

The goal is simple: empower operators to identify which vendors truly comply with OMWi, thus protecting their investments and simplifying multi-vendor integration. Thecompliance framework strengthens the overall ecosystem by promoting openness, predictability, and vendor accountability.

Figure 3 – Bahadir Ozgun (Airties) setting up equipment, with Nokia, Heights, and Airties CPEs from left to right.

(3) The Three Initial Test Modules

During the Paris session, the team executed the initial 3 OWMi test modules. These focused on validating:

1. SSID/password/security configuration for the Wi-Fi fronthaul interface
2. SSID/password/security configuration for the Wi-Fi backhaul interface
3. Metrics collection capabilities

Figure 4 – Tom Van Driessche (left), Sarper Gokturk with the controller, Bahadir Ozgun and Bruno Tomás near the Nokia gateway.

How it works

Over recent months,  WBA members have collaborated to develop the test setup, the structure of test modules and use cases, and the initial test modules scripts. These scripts can be run either locally or remotely to determine whether a vendor’s CPE supports the key functionalities identified as critical for managed residential Wi-Fi.

See below the setup that the team has been using as a reference:

Figure 5 – Test setup for OMWi compliance execution

More recently, Bahadir Ozgun (Airties) created a WebUI interface that allows real-time monitoring of test execution.  The interface enables users to select the desired test module to be run, verify the live script activity and view results as they complete.

Figure 6 – OMWi WebUI

Figure 7 – Example of radio_client_metrics test results

Figure 8 – Example of remote channel-change execution, demonstrating interoperability

Figure 9 – Discussion around remote configuration via the Airties agent

WBA is pleased to confirm that all the 3 vendor CPEs – Airties, Nokia and Heights – have successfully passed the initial test modules and we would like to pass on our thanks to the team for spearheading this initiative.

Figure 10 – From left to right: Bahadir Ozgun & Sarper Gokturk (Airties), Telmo Velez (Heights Telecom), Tom Van Driessche (Nokia), and Bruno Tomás & Pedro Mouta (WBA)