\tAT&T extended a Wi-Fi roaming agreement with Boingo Wireless as part of a move to manage rapidly growing data traffic on its network.<\/p>\n
Boingo CEO David Hagan told Mobile World Live (MWL)\u00a0a previous agreement between the pair connected AT&T to its Wi-Fi service in a handful of locations, but noted the operator will now have access to the \u201cvast majority\u201d of its Passpoint-certified network. Specifically, the new deal covers more than 80 sites including military bases, airports, stadiums and shopping centres.<\/p>\n
Passpoint is a standard developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance which makes Wi-Fi more like cellular connectivity, allowing users to connect to networks automatically and securely.<\/p>\n
In a statement, AT&T VP of tower strategy and roaming JR Wilson said the expansion is \u201cpart of AT&T\u2019s strategic network management initiatives that help accommodate rising mobile data traffic\u201d, which on its network has grown more than 470,000 per cent since 2007.<\/p>\n
Data demand
\nWilson told\u00a0MWL AT&T “will continue to find ways to meet this demand” through a combination of network enhancements and third-party agreements. He added Wi-Fi offload is a particularly valuable tool for serving high-density venues during the busiest times of day.<\/p>\n
“To me it is not really an either-or choice, but rather a both-and approach that will be needed to meet the demand for data especially in these types of high-density venues.”<\/p>\n
Hagan said data demand is impacting operators across the board, but added Wi-Fi offload offers a cost-effective option to manage the crush: \u201cThe price-per-bit on a Wi-Fi network is so much less expensive than on cellular technology that it\u2019s kind of crazy that the carriers have not embraced it sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CEO said Boingo already has similar Passpoint deals with Sprint and cable-operator Charter Communications, and ultimately expects all four tier-one US operators will ink offload agreements.<\/p>\n
In a recent report [1], Cisco predicted 59 per cent of mobile data traffic will be offloaded to Wi-Fi by 2022, compared with 54 per cent in 2017.<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/featured-content\/top-three\/cisco-predicts-5g-domination-by-2022\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AT&T extended a Wi-Fi roaming agreement with Boingo Wireless as part of a move to …<\/p>\n
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