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Smart Home & IoT – Operator-Managed Industry Framework
The “Smart Home & IoT: Operator-Managed Industry Framework” by the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) envisions the future of smart homes and IoT ecosystems, focusing on interoperability, security, and scalability. This framework builds on the evolution from Smart Home 1.0 and Smart Home 2.0, progressing toward NextGen Smart Homes powered by AI, edge computing, and sustainability, technologies that make homes more intuitive, energy-efficient, and responsive to user needs.
At the core of the framework is the adoption of open standards, with Matter serving as a universal protocol that ensures seamless device integration across manufacturers. This helps reduce fragmentation and creates a more user-friendly, secure, and interoperable ecosystem. Key technologies such as Wi-Fi 6/7, Wi-Fi HaLow, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Thread provide the robust connectivity needed to support smart homes
The framework emphasizes the importance of edge computing, which allows for local data processing to improve privacy, efficiency, and reduce reliance on cloud systems. AI-driven automation and predictive analytics further enhance the smart home experience, enabling smarter homes that are more energy-efficient. Use cases across home automation, connected health, and energy management highlight how IoT is transforming everyday life
Framework Components:
The Smart Home & IoT: Operator-Managed Industry Framework includes two main components:
Visualizing the evolution of Smart Homes as connectivity hubs, improving interoperability between existing and emerging technologies.
Supporting residential service providers with a Managed Wi-Fi reference architecture that incorporates IoT and Matter components, guiding vendors to meet interoperability standards.
This framework serves as an evolving reference implementation for the Smart Home, building upon WBA’s Operator Managed Wi-Fi to offer a roadmap for future developments
Key Updates in Matter 1.4 (November 2024):
The Matter 1.4 (released November 2024) update introduces Enhanced Multi-Admin, enabling smoother integration across platforms like Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Alexa, thus improving setup efficiency. It also expands support for energy management devices such as solar panels, batteries, and EV chargers, addressing the growing demand for sustainable smart homes
WBA’s Key Initiatives:
WBA’s ongoing initiatives, like the Wi-Fi HaLow trials and the OpenRoaming for IoT – FIDO Device Onboarding Framework, simplify smart device deployments, ensuring both efficiency and security
Future Directions:
- IoT & Smart Home in Multi-Dwelling Units (MDUs): WBA members are working on a proposal for the 2025 roadmap, focusing on MDU centralized management and ensuring technology convergence, interoperability, and viable business cases for service providers
- Operator Managed Wi-Fi: Entering its third phase, the team will focus on compliance and testing to ensure that equipment functions match the advertised specifications.
The IoT & Smart Home Project Team invites industry players to stay engaged with the upcoming work.
Reach out to the WBA Program Management Office (PMO) with this form. Be part of shaping the future of Wi-Fi.
Implementation Guidelines for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput in Wi-Fi Networks (L4S)
The WBA introduces the innovative L4S (Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput) implementation guidelines, providing a groundbreaking solution to tackle latency and congestion issues in Wi-Fi networks.
L4S technology is poised to transform the networking landscape by addressing critical challenges in latency and congestion. It is especially essential for applications requiring low latency and high throughput, such as cloud gaming, AR/VR, video conferencing, and telemedicine.
The guidelines demonstrate how demand for low-latency Wi-Fi applications can be achieved with an explanation of implementation approaches, Access Point (AP) tests and simulation studies for L4S AP performance in different scenarios.
The L4S Implementation Guidelines
The WBA has developed the L4S Implementation Guidelines to assist industry stakeholders in implementing L4S technology, the guidelines cover:
- Reducing media access delays in Wi-Fi networks.
- Enhancing network configurations.
- Complementing QoS Management Stream Classification Services (SCS).
- Optimizing Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters.
In 2025, the WBA will continue advancing L4S in coordination with QoS Management initiatives, including additional trials, report generation, provider surveys, and evolving L4S testing scenarios.
Download the full report to learn more about L4S’s capabilities and its transformative impact on the future of Wi-Fi networks.
Reach out to the WBA Program Management Office (PMO) with this form. Be part of shaping the future of Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi 7 Trial Report for Residential Deployments by CableLabs and Intel
Building on its initial initiatives with the report “Get Ready for Wi-Fi 7: Applying New Capabilities to Key Use Cases,” the WBA highlights the transformative potential of Wi-Fi 7 for industries worldwide. To advance this vision, WBA is conducting Wi-Fi 7 field trials with its participating members to evaluate and validate the key capabilities of Wi-Fi in real-life various deployment scenarios.
As part of this initiative, CableLabs and Intel collaborated on a multi-phase project to test Wi-Fi 7 in residential settings. Phase 1 focused on evaluating the performance and coverage of Wi-Fi 7, assessing its benefits over previous generations. This report presents performance data from testing Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 6E in a typical home environment, quantifying the improvements. The findings show that Wi-Fi 7 delivered significant enhancements over Wi-Fi 6, achieving up to 3.5 Gbps TCP throughput.
The project team is continuing Phase 2 of the Wi-Fi 7 trials, further exploring the benefits of MLO with a focus on latency, coverage, and additional throughput improvements. Contact WBA to join the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 trial project today!
Wireless Global Congress APAC 2025 – Full Event Replay
Enjoy the full replay of WGC APAC 2025, which took place in Bangkok on January 21, 2025.
Wireless Global Congress APAC 2025 – Presentation Slide Deck
WGC APAC 2025 took place on January 21, 2025 in the great city of Bangkok, and you can now download the full set of presentation slides from the event in PDF format.
Art of Connectivity: Mastering OpenRoaming™ at Festivals and Events with Clair Global
Learn How OpenRoaming™ is Transforming Connectivity at Entertainment Events
Clair Global excels in enhancing fan experiences and optimizing production workflows through innovative connectivity solutions at entertainment events. These include fan-facing Wi-Fi, production IT, ticketing, vendor connectivity, and VoIP, addressing various critical production needs.
The Role of OpenRoaming™
Clair Global has pioneered the enhancement of wireless connectivity experiences using OpenRoaming technology in hospitality and live event spaces. This case study delves into the transformative applications of OpenRoaming at BottleRock Napa Valley music festival and Hotel Rock Lititz and, showcasing significant improvements in connectivity and user experience.
Download the Case Study and Join WBA today.
Innovation Forum Meeting Replay – January 14, 2025
A full replay of the Innovation Forum meeting held on January 14, 2025.
Innovation Forum Meeting Slides (January 14, 2025)
A PDF deck of the presentation slides used in the January 14, 2025 Innovation Forum meeting.
6G Vision Statement
Wi-Fi and cellular are the two most adopted wireless broadband technologies in the world, available in billions of devices and used daily by billions of users all around the world. To date, both technologies have been evolving from the standards point of view, on independent paths, resulting in separate technical standards, architectures, and industry ecosystems.
While the cellular standards organizations have made efforts to integrate these systems and positive progress has been made, with converged solutions like Wi-Fi Calling or SIM-based seamless Wi-Fi authentication, broader real-world adoption and implementation have lagged for reasons including the need to harmonize fragmented user experiences, complexity of non-3GPP access methods, costs related to implementation complexity, and the need to learn from previous cellular generations.
WBA’s introductory report on 6G’s potential transformative role titled, “6G – WBA Vision Statement” calls for greater collaboration between all stakeholders if 6G is to deliver on its promise, and details five key vision points for 6G, to achieve ubiquitous connectivity that comprises Wi-Fi, cellular, non-terrestrial networks, IoT LPWANs, and other wireless technologies at its core.
WBA would like to acknowledge the input and support from WBA Members, AT&T, Airties, Boingo Wireless, Boldyn Networks, BT, Charter, Cisco, Comcast, HFCL, Intel, Reliance Jio and Turk Telekom.
