This year’s Wi-Fi Global Congress event in London was opened up by JR Wilson, Wireless Broadband Alliance Chairman and VP, AT&T. JR gave delegates an overview of how next-generation Wi-Fi is set to revolutionize internet access across the globe, how Wi-Fi roaming is now very much open for business and where new opportunities lie for operators of all types.

The WBA has recently seen unprecedented growth in Wi-Fi, with new additions from across the ecosystem taking membership to the 100 membership mark. It is a pivotal time for the industry said JR, with unprecedented growth in Wi-Fi hotspots being powered forward by mobile data.

Opening keynote
Today’s keynote was presented by Andy Baker, CEO of BT Wi-Fi, focusing on the business case for cable and fixed line operator Wi-Fi, the reasons the industry is seeing such aggressive growth and how community Wi-Fi might be leveraged by large scale operators.

In a recent lifestyle survey, UK citizens rated internet access as their top ‘bare necessity, demonstrating the importance of being online to the modern consumer. Andy’s presentation went on to detail the BT response to this burgeoning demand, with 2,253 BT Wi-Fi hotspots within half a mile of the Wi-Fi Global Congress 2013 hotel venue alone. The statistics are impressive; there is around one BT Wi-Fi hotspot per 15 people in London today, bringing Wi-Fi to where end-users want it – everywhere. BT has experienced a three-fold increase in traffic in the past 12 months.

BT’s monetization strategy today focuses on the free – UK and overseas hotspots, the paid-for – subscriptions and vouchers for casual customers and other activities to drive revenues, such as Google search bars and sponsored content.

Andy referenced a theme which would continue through the day’s presentations – that there is no silver bullet, no one single model to making money from Wi-Fi – the challenge is around leveraging and balancing all the right factors.

Selina Lo, CEO of Ruckus Wireless presented on carrier Wi-Fi as a public access service, and how the industry might firm it up as a viable long-term option for operators. Today 83 per cent of smartphone users expect their carrier to bundle Wi-Fi service into their plan, and venues are also driving mobile operators towards Wi-Fi. All leading venues will want a Wi-Fi service moving forward, so operators will need to re-adjust their thinking. Integration will be key and next-generation hotspots vital.

Carrier grade Wi-Fi in fixed and mobile networks was the subject of the morning’s panel discussion, with Telefonica’s Mike Short moderating the team of BT’s Chris Bruce, AT&T’s Bill Hague and Ruckus Wireless’ Rob Mustarde. The panel debated whether the industry is doing enough to grow the sector, with Bill commenting that “I think the fact that a large part of the focus this week is on roaming and settlement shows they’re going in the right direction.”

Rob stated his belief that “Consumers will pay extra if they know that there’s a quality associated with it – and a carrier grade network should be better than a consumer grade network.”

Harnessing Wi-Fi to an evolving carrier business model
Gavin Franks, CEO of O2 Wi-Fi, presented on how public Wi-Fi is changing mobile networks and what opportunities exist for forward-thinking operators. Emphasizing the ‘no silver bullet’ message, Gavin posited that the way ahead is about engagement – between operator and customer, but also between customer and the brands, venues and products that they love.

What comes after the technical?
Cisco VP and GM Partho Mishra spoke to delegates about managing offload needs and understanding how to take existing infrastructure and leverage it to create innovative new services and applications. There should be some Darwinian experimentation in this area. The business model has changed, with operators needing to shift their thinking from productivity to revenue enablement – drive customer retention and loyalty and utilize analytics to create new revenues. Wi-Fi has helped reduce churn and there is tremendous potential on offer to operators.
The morning session was rounded off with a panel discussion focusing on changing user habits in London brought about by widespread public Wi-Fi. O2’s Gavin Franks, BSkyB’s Vince Russell and Virgin Media’s Jon James spoke of how they have leveraged the increasingly expectant and demanding Londoner to drive new revenue opportunities for their companies. Compared to just three years ago there is far more Wi-Fi choice London, meaning operators can focus on what content they give to users when they have connected.