bringing better Wi-Fi to everybody – everywhere

Join | WBA – Wireless Broadband Alliance

The WBA: bringing better Wi-Fi to everybody – everywhere

These are exciting times for Wi-Fi operators, Wi-Fi equipment vendors and above all Wi-Fi users. The potential of Wi-Fi worldwide is vast and growing. The WBA and its members are committed to helping Wi-Fi fulfill that potential.

The WBA is achieving this through the development of specifications, guidelines, resources and collaborative work that will help make the Wi-Fi experience easier, more secure and available to more people. This means a focus on three key areas.

Wi-Fi for today

We work with our members and associates to create specifications and guidelines to make Wi-Fi interworking and roaming more efficient and reliable for operators and service providers. We encourage and support Wi-Fi interoperability with all major wireless technologies. We commission and publish industry reports. And our members come together regularly for working sessions and for the WBA Wi-Fi Global Congress event — a valuable networking and information exchange opportunity. Many other events are endorsed by the WBA, while our executives, experts and members often speak and contribute to key industry events.

Wi-Fi for tomorrow

Interoperability with today’s technologies is not enough. As LTE rollout continues, interoperability efforts are also moving beyond 3G and towards the cellular technologies of the future. At the same time our own Next Generation Hotspot Initiative is promising new levels of access, security and robustness to Wi-Fi operators and users. And the ideas that will eventually become the initiatives of the future are regularly published through WBA whitepapers, research specifications and updates.

Wi-Fi for all

Roaming, outreach and collaboration across technologies are key parts of our work. Our Roaming Workgroup and Global Wi-Fi Roaming Initiative encourage and aid the development of roaming specifications and guidelines, embracing Wi-Fi and non Wi-Fi players and partners. Our Industry Engagement Workgroup leads engagements with relevant industry forums and takes the Wi-Fi message to the wider world. And our Business Workgroup ensures that Wi-Fi business models and requirements are addressed across network technologies, devices and operators.
All of these activities, along with the day-to-day operation of the WBA, are part of a dynamic and growing group of activities the WBA is continually enhancing to promote and encourage the spread and development of Wi-Fi throughout the world.

Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) Program

The aim of the WBA’s Next Generation Hotspot (NGH) program is to deliver a public Wi-Fi experience that is as easy and secure as that experienced on cellular networks.
And that’s why we’re designing and specifying hotspots that are easier for users to find and access – easier to find and access because devices can connect securely and automatically with no need to manually enter user names or passwords.
But we’re also designing and specifying these hotspots to be much, much more secure. The new hotspots feature similar levels of security to the cellular network including end-to-end radio link encryption and SIM authentication.
The result? A hotspot network that takes the heat off mobile broadband at busy times, through accessible, secure and above all reliable offload. Another step towards interoperability across networks, technologies and devices. And a key milestone in WBA’s goal to drive wireless broadband adoption globally.
The current WBA initiatives under the NGH program include NGH Trial, NGH Operator Guidelines, NGH Whitepapers (Business Drivers whitepaper and Security whitepaper) and engagement with key industry organizations (e.g, the GSMA and the Wi-Fi Alliance).

Useful links

To find out more
Read the key objectives of the WBA NGH program
View participants required for WBA NGH trial
View latest NGH white papers
To take part in WBA NGH trial
Contact WBA
Download the WBA NGH trial information pack

Global Wi-Fi roaming

With Global Wi-Fi Roaming through the WBA you can gain access to

1. A global Wi-Fi footprint of more than 1 million hotspots
2. More than a billion subscribers worldwide
3. Experts in roaming, offload and interworking
4. Operator standards, guidelines, best practices and templates
5. A global ecosystem of major operators and vendors
6. A global forum and partnership opportunity
7. A role in technical developments that will influence the direction of wireless.

WBA’s global Wi-Fi roaming work supports:

…operators with Wi-Fi Networks

Make Wi-Fi roaming work for you with our technical enablers, templates and common user experience guidelines. Bring hotspots to more end users, and connect end users to more hotspots as easily as possible.

…operators without Wi-Fi Networks

Are you a mobile or broadband technology operator without a Wi-Fi offering? Whether your focus is fixed or wireless technology, you can work with the WBA and its members to offer Wi-Fi roaming and mobile data offload to your customers. We have developed a roaming framework that allows interoperability between platforms to help you to manage the mobile data explosion.

…roaming enablers and supporters

Join the roaming hub vendors, clearinghouse providers, technology vendors and others who have taken part in our open industry trials and benefited from key technical enablers developed by WBA. Or hear about the latest Wi-Fi innovations, network with us and our members and discuss future Wi-Fi developments at regular members’ meetings and the twice-yearly WBA Wi-Fi Global Congress.

…end users

The WBA is helping to enhance global coverage and inbound/ outbound roaming opportunities for end users. Common user experience guidelines will make it easier for end users to locate, identify and connect to Next Generation Hotspots while roaming.

WBA Member Roaming Pack

The WBA Member Roaming Pack is a one-stop shop for all WBA approved specifications and documents for Wi-Fi Roaming. The pack provides a complete list of what WBA has to offer from all relevant perspectives, including marketing, commercial, legal, technical, other cross functions and back-end support.
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