Resource Centre

Wi-Fi Sensing – Test Methodology and Performance Metrics, 2024 Edition

In 2020, WBA launched a Wi-Fi Sensing Whitepaper providing an overview of Wi-Fi Sensing technology, classifying use cases and requirements, and identifying the gaps in Wi-Fi standards which would lead to the enhancement of the technology and ease of deployment if those gaps are addressed with Home Monitoring case study.

Wi-Fi Sensing is a relatively new technology with no current standard currently in existence. While some applications can be enabled using existing standards, there are technology gaps that limit the range of applications. Today, a number of products are available which are based on existing Wi-Fi standards, and the IEEE has recently formed a new task group, 802.11bf, that will focus on creating and improving existing standards specific to sensing applications. As this technology becomes more widely available, there is a great deal of interest within the industry looking towards evaluating and testing it. However, there is currently no standard methodology outlining how it should be validated, what tools to use, or what external factors impact the behavior.

5G and Wi-Fi RAN Convergence

In 2019, the WBA and NGMN created a RAN Convergence White Paper to address some of the challenges outlined in creating a streamlined and seamless integration between both Wi-Fi and cellular access with the cellular operator core.

As society increasingly depends on fast reliable data connectivity, the WBA believes an important capability for the industry is the convergence at a network level between 5G and Wi-Fi, so that the unique and complementary capabilities of both RANs can be leveraged to provide seamless network services. Bearing in mind that a significant amount of data traffic from smartphones uses a Wi-Fi access, this will lead to a better user experience and create new business opportunities for both Wi-Fi and cellular providers.

OpenRoaming™ Flyer

WBA OpenRoaming™ creates the framework to connect billions of users and things to millions of Wi-Fi networks globally

OpenRoaming F&B Retail

Coffee shops, cafés, bars and restaurants have long taken advantage of Wi-Fi to enhance their customers’ experience by connecting them to the internet, enabling them to browse menu options, check out offers and building loyalty.

OpenRoaming Retail

Retailers have long taken advantage of Wi-Fi to enhance their customers’ shopping experience by connecting them to the internet, enabling them to browse before making in-store purchases, sending offers and building loyalty as well as adding applications that enable the tracking of footfall and shopping journeys within the stores.

OpenRoaming Carpeted Enterprise

Wi-Fi connectivity and the carpeted enterprise – including corporate offices, serviced offices and other similar environments – go together like strawberries and cream and enterprise employees expect an unplugged office experience. This can be great if you work in that office, but what if you’re visiting from another office or location – can you easily gain access to your company’s systems? If you’re visiting a client, can you easily connect to Wi-Fi?

OpenRoaming Healthcare

Increasingly in our healthcare environments, wireless connectivity is a mission critical service. It serves as a lifeline to friends and family as well as providing access to services and entertainment. At the same time, it provides permanent and locum staff instant access to the systems they need as well as enabling tracking of expensive moveable assets within a healthcare facility and providing connectivity for patient record information exchange.

WBA CTO Innovation Forum

The Innovation Forum is a unique gathering of industry technology leaders with the ambition of shaping the future of the Wi-Fi industry and to accelerate the development of the industry roadmap which will accelerate adoption of world leading Wi-Fi services across carriers, enterprise and consumers.

IMSI Privacy Protection for Wi-Fi

EAP methods are primarily used by wireless carriers and operators who want to take advantage of Wi-Fi capabilities for their SIM subscribers for use cases including licensed mobile radio service; in service-environments such as sports or shopping venues; underground locations; and the overall experience for end-users when Wi-Fi and mobile services are combined for the SIM subscriber’s benefit. Passpoint enables the cellular carrier to offload data by providing a means to have an automated connection to available Wi-Fi providers.

To fill the industry gap, it is important to provide solutions that enable mobile devices to keep their permanent subscriber identity (IMSI) private when using SIM authentication methods.

WBA’s IMSI Privacy Protection for Wi-Fi – Technical Specification document serves as the standardization for seamless, private and secure access for SIM-based devices onto to Wi-Fi. The document provides clear guidelines to ensure that service providers can deploy secure and interoperable Wi-Fi services with confidence.

With the joint collaboration between operators and vendors, the WBA’s Wi-Fi IMSI Privacy Protection project team formulated the best practice on security policy and privacy protection on SIM-based devices as well as developed guidelines and a compliance program to guarantee broad industry deployments and alignment

5G and Wi-Fi RAN Convergence Whitepaper – Executive Summary

Convergence between Wi-Fi and cellular access technologies is critical to the long-term success of 5G. That is according to WBA’s 5G and Wi-Fi RAN Convergence whitepaper, developed with input from mobile carriers, Wi-Fi providers, telecom manufacturers, and its own 5G Working Group.

The report is expanding on the WBA and NGMN RAN convergence whitepaper from 2019 which articulated the potential benefits and use-cases of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G convergence, provides a breakdown of the current standards and key business opportunities for operators with this technology.