Telecom Infra Project (TIP) tapped US-based R&D company CableLabs to verify updated software for its open Wi-Fi initiative, a move pitched as lowering barriers to entry into managing the connectivity set-up.

The organisation stated it completed validation of new interoperable hard and software with CableLabs, along with commissioning an updated open Wi-Fi community laboratory providing test and demonstration services.

TIP explained version 2.9 of its open Wi-Fi employs a communication layer known as uCentral and is compatible with Multi Pre-Shared Key, an evolution of the WPA2-Personal security standard which enables device and “group-specific passphrases”.

Other features include a dedicated portal requiring user interaction to gain Wi-Fi access, along with compatibility for the Wireless Broadband Alliance’s (WBA’s) OpenRoaming service, which provides “an automatic and secure Wi-Fi experience globally”.

Jack Raynor, co-chair of TIP’s open Wi-Fi programme group, branded CableLabs “the guiding light” in driving the latest innovation, while WBA CEO Tiago Rodrigues praised the interoperability with OpenRoaming for creating “strategic business opportunities” in various verticals.

TIP noted open Wi-Fi has been deployed commercially by companies in the US, India, Pakistan and Kenya, and trialled in the Republic of Ireland since its launch in 2021.