The WBA Industry Awards Categories for 2022

Objective:
To recognize innovations and achievements in public Wi-Fi networks deployed by operators.

Who is eligible:
Network operators and/or network operators along with their technology partners.

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
Recognize innovations and advances in Wi-Fi network technologies that are commercially available and launched in at least one country / market by the time of entry deadline.

Who is eligible:
Technology companies developing Wi-Fi technology based products (chipset, devices, equipment, applications or services).

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
Recognize innovative consumer-centric, in-home Wi-Fi networks and services that are commercially available and launched in at least one country / market by the time of entry deadline.

Who is eligible:
Network operators and/or technology companies developing products or solutions for in-home Wi-Fi network and services.

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
Recognize innovative Wi-Fi network or services in enterprise environments (e.g. hospitality, retail, transportation, stadiums, healthcare, industrial or other verticals) that have been deployed on pre-commercial or commercial basis in at least one country / market by the time of entry deadline.

Who is eligible:
Enterprises and/or technology companies deploying products or solutions using Wi-Fi (with or without other wireless technologies) for enterprise network, services, applications, IOT etc.

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
Recognize and celebrate innovative Wi-Fi network-based services for the benefit of society (smart cities, urban or remote communities) that have been deployed on trial or commercial basis in at least one country / market by the time of entry deadline.

Who is eligible:
Government or non-government organization (commercial as well as not-for-profit).

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
Recognize and celebrate innovation and deployments with Wi-Fi, which enable seamless and secure support, greater interoperability and/or transformational benefits to customers that have been deployed and are available in at least one market by the entry deadline. (e.g. the product and services areas can be related to deployment with Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi in IoT, Wi-Fi in Convergence, Wi-Fi Application).

Who is eligible:
Network operators and/or technology companies developing products or solutions.

Judging Criteria:

• Technical innovation
• Business innovation
• User experience enhancement
• Scale of market impact

Objective:
CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the Year award is a platform to promote the importance of technology and innovation in the Wi-Fi Ecosystem, recognizing the pioneering leaders driving the growth of Wi-Fi and prosperity through technology and innovation.

Who is eligible:
The award is given to a CTO/CTIO (or equivalent), or other board-level technology executives. The applicant of the award does not need to be CTO by title. The winner will be the most prominent technology leaders of highly successful companies: persons, who are inspiring leaders and foresighted technology managers, led a significant network & technical transformation of their business which is delivering tangible results. The individual will have demonstrated continuously superior leadership skills or promoted technological change company-wide, with innovative approach.

Judging Criteria:

• Significant achievements of the network & technical transformation by the nominee;
• Advance Wi-Fi Innovations to the ecosystem;
• Innovations and uniqueness of the solutions and technology inspired under the nominee’s leadership;
• Social impacts and scope of the impacts;
• Size of deployment from the contribution to innovation and technology, market development and/or commercial success.