October 13, 2022
With the launch of the new Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), a global organization that connects people to the latest Wi-Fi initiatives, the process of addressing the challenges that typically affect an aircraft user’s Wi-Fi experience has begun.
“Connectivity today is fundamental for our daily lives and Wi-Fi is the most used wireless connectivity technology in the world. The in-flight Wi-Fi experience must improve to give vacationers and business travelers access to flight information, entertainment, social media and more,” said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of WBA.
The WBA aims to introduce the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Passpoint technology, also known as Hotspot 2.0, which enables secure, automatic connection to Wi-Fi networks for devices with a suitable subscription profile, and to develop industry frameworks to ensure better connectivity on future flights.
The Wi-Fi Alliance’s Passpoint technology, available as a subscription, would simplify the in-flight manual login process and replace it with a fully automated check that provides a secure connection for its subscribers as soon as they board an aircraft.
The Passpoint also prepares members to join the World Business Association’s OpenRoaming federation, which is expanding the network with the required Roaming Consortium Organization Identifiers (RCOIs) to enhance security and privacy, a major concern for business travellers.
According to Bruno Tomas, CTO of the WBA, the recent growth in air travel means that now is the ideal time for airlines to review their in-flight Wi-Fi experience and introduce Passpoint and WBA OpenRoaming to eliminate any complexity.
The sources for this piece include an article in Zdnet.
