Wireless and cable operators have deployed about five million Wi-Fi hot spots as of last year, and that number is expected to double in the next few years. Data traffic offloading from 3G and 4G wireless networks is also expected to rapidly increase, according to Mark Poletti, lead wireless architect for CableLabs, which does research and standards work for the cable industry. Poletti spoke on carrier-grade Wi-Fi at the recent SCTE Cable-Tec Expo.
Carrier-grade Wi-Fi is important for getting a full view of Wi-Fi’s place in the network and its utilization, as well as end-user quality of experience, Poletti said. CableLabs is working with the Wireless Broadband Alliance for standards and certifications related to Wi-Fi roaming and interworking, and member companies have been involved in trialing Passpoint (the brand name for Hotspot 2.0 functionality, which allows automatic authentication). Five cable companies have already partnered to provide Wi-Fi roaming services for each others’ customers through the CableWi-Fi initiative.
“There is an explosion of hot spots that are being deployed worldwide, and Wi-Fi operators need some kind of means to keep up with the scale and management of these hot spots as they are being deployed — and that’s what carrier-grade Wi-Fi is all about,” said Poletti.
Watch the rest of the interview below, and read about other top Wi-Fi trends from the Cable-Tec Expo. More video interviews from the show are available on RCR Wireless News’ YouTube channel.
