Did you catch the news a few days ago about Facebook launching a Wi-Fi app? This was first spotted by TechCrunch on March 15th. As they reported: "This week TechCrunch was tipped off that Facebook had quietly launched an Express Wi-Fi Android app in the Google Play store that lets users buy data packs and find nearby hotspots as part of Facebook’s distributed Wi-Fi network. The company’s Express Wi-Fi program is live in five developing countries that see local business owners operating Wi-Fi hotspots where people can pay to access higher-speed bandwidth via local telecoms instead of paying steep prices for slow cellular data connections."
NGH Rollout at Mobile World Congress 2018 - A Huge Success!
At the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) Working Group session in Tokyo, Japan this week, AT&T presented their success with Wi-Fi roaming over the last 5 years. Additionally, they announced they are now promoting thier own Wi-Fi network in the US as ready for in-bound Passpoint roaming as well as interest in partnering to roam onto Passpoint networks around the world.
A few weeks ago our Charman/CEO, Larry Quinn and EMEA Regional Sales VP, Mohammed Elneel were invited to participate at Emirates Data Clearing House (EDCH) 15th Annual User Group meeting gathering 82 operators from Europe, Africa, Asia and the MENA region. An article in CommsMEA noted:
Greetings from sunny Barcelona. On Sunday Mobileum announced a partnership to resell AT&T's global Wi-Fi hubbing service.
For the past 4 years, Accuris Networks, in conjunction with the Wireless Broadband Alliance, GSMA, and a growing list of Mobile Providers, have teamed to offer seamless Wi-Fi using SIM-based authentication for those attending Mobile World Congress.
Today iPass and Accuris announced an agreement to cooperate on Carrier Wi-Fi specifically for mobile operators. iPass, with the largest aggregated Wi-Fi network in the world, is teaming with Accuris Networks to turn Wi-Fi into an extension of the MNO, and MNVO, access network.
At the Wireless Broadband Alliance event in San Jose, Orange demonstrated a live-trial of subscribers accessing a trusted Wi-Fi network attached to the Orange IPX.
At the WBA’s Wireless Broadband Alliance event in San Jose, I had a chance to catch up with Melody Eclavea, director of Wi-Fi roaming at AT&T.
Last week I was privledged to join Wi-Fi roaming thought-leaders for a workshop hosted in Dubai by regional hub provider EDCH. The workshop, held in conjunction with the Telecoms World Middle East event, brought together mobile providers, industry luminaries, telecom regulators and me (a vendor) to discuss the what, where, when, and why of using Wi-Fi to add value to LTE/3G data roaming offers.
