The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has announced that users of its new OpenRoaming service will be granted enterprise-level security. This is as a result of a partnership with infrastructure security experts, Kyrio.
The WBA OpenRoaming Service, which removes the barriers to connectivity typically associated with public Wi-Fi, such as the need to constantly re-register or re-enter log-in credentials, will now offer the tightest level of security available on any public or guest Wi-Fi network. The partnership is one in a series of milestone moves by the WBA to make Wi-Fi more readily accessible to all and should lay to rest any concerns around the security of guest and public Wi-Fi networks.
As part of the new partnership, Kyrio a subsidiary of CableLabs, will join Google and Cisco as an Issuing Intermediate Certificate Authority (ICA), providing innovative agent and registration authority services to the broader WBA family, including networks, operators, hubs and identity providers. Certificate Authorities are governed by the WBA Public Key Infrastructure Certificate Policy and provides a critical foundation of trust between OpenRoaming federation participants as membership grows.
Kyrio will also enable management and attribution of the WBA Unique Organisation Identifiers that are critical for their partner identification on the OpenRoaming system. This information is centralised on a WBA global database to guarantee system harmony and enhanced security.
Kyrio is currently engaged with many global standards groups spanning the energy, healthcare, industrial and commercial IoT sectors, and recently formed a strategic alliance with Sectigo, one of the world’s largest commercial Certificate Authorities.
WBA OpenRoaming reportedly simplifies the Wi-Fi experience, matching the convenience and coverage of most cellular networks, but with better reliability and often greater speed. Now, users will be able to enjoy levels of security that, until recently, were the reserve of large-scale private enterprises.
News of the partnership comes just months after WBA CEO, Tiago Rodrigues, announced that OpenRoaming was, “Open for business” with WBA members such as AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Cisco, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom, Intel, Orange, Samsung and more all throwing their support behind the project.
Rodrigues comments: “The goal of WBA OpenRoaming has always been to provide users with a seamless and automatic public Wi-Fi experience, while at the same time providing unique business opportunities for vendors, operators and retailers. For that to work, businesses and consumers need to have complete confidence in the security of public networks, and our partnership with Kyrio offers this peace of mind and more. As of now, individuals will be able to access public or guest Wi-Fi in a frictionless, barrier-free way with complete confidence in the security and integrity of the network they’re using. We’re delighted to welcome Kyrio into the OpenRoaming family.”
Founded in 2003, the vision of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is to drive seamless, interoperable service experiences via Wi-Fi within the global wireless ecosystem. WBA’s mission is to enable collaboration between service providers, technology companies and organisations to achieve that vision. WBA undertakes programs and activities to address business and technical issues, as well as opportunities, for member companies.
WBA work areas include advocacy, industry guidelines, trials and certification. Its key programs include NextGen Wi-Fi, 5G, IoT, Testing & Interoperability and Roaming, with member-led Work Groups dedicated to resolving standards and technical issues to promote end-to-end services and accelerate business opportunities. WBA’s membership is comprised of major operators and technology companies, including Orange, Facebook, Google, HPE Aruba, Nokia, Qualcomm, Shaw, Swisscom, Softbank, Rogers, Telstra, Telus and T-Mobile US.
To join the alliance or for more information, visit:
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