Boingo Wireless will be the first member of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to roll out the association’s OpenWiFi architecture, and is starting with deployments in U.S. military barracks.
The Telecom Infra Project is a consortium started by Facebook (now Meta) which is promoting open source solutions to advance global connectivity. For Wi-Fi deployments, TIP offers a free software development kit for cloud-based controllers and interoperable enterprise-grade firmware for access points, both of which are open source.
Boingo CTO Derek Peterson said there were three reasons his company decided to deploy OpenWiFi.
First, ongoing supply chain constraints provided a big incentive for Boingo to diversify its vendor base. Boingo is a neutral host network provider, meaning that it does not manufacture equipment, but deploys connectivity infrastructure and charges for access to the network. Peterson said Wi-Fi access point maker Actiontec, which supports OpenWiFi, had much shorter lead times than many other AP vendors.
Peterson said Actiontec also offered much lower price points than competitors, providing APs for around $300 versus the $900 Boingo might pay for some Wi-Fi APs. He noted that Actiontec antennas are omni-directional, and said Boingo will continue to use other vendors for more demanding deployments that require beamforming antennas, such as stadium Wi-Fi. He said for now, OpenWiFi will be appropriate for deployments that don’t need “all the bells and whistles.”
Software is the third reason Boingo decided to deploy OpenWiFi. Because the interfaces are open, Boingo can deploy software directly onto the access points. Peterson gave network probes as an example, noting that this software is used to monitor network performance and typically requires its own switch and power. Boingo can save money and space by putting it directly onto the APs.
Boingo turned to NetExperience for the cloud-based controller, noting that the company was one of the first to develop an OpenWiFi solution. NetExperience has already deployed OpenWiFi in Africa with Atlancis, in France with iBrowse, and in Canada with Kenyatta University.
NetExperience VP business development Huw Rees said his company's product is as secure as other cloud-based controllers. He explained that every AP is authenticated to the cloud in an encrypted manner, using Digicert certificates.
Peterson said Boingo will use NetExperience for deployments that use APs from additional vendors, noting Actiontec is not Boingo’s only supplier for OpenWiFi APs. “We are working with three different ones and I am getting emails from new ones all the time,” he said.
The OpenWiFi APs Boingo is currently sourcing are Wi-Fi 6E, but since they are low-power APs for use indoors, the company does not need to worry about Automated Frequency Coordination to prevent interference with incumbent users of the 6 GHz spectrum band. Peterson said he chose Wi-Fi 6E gear because right now he can get it for the same price as Wi-Fi 6.
In addition to Wi-Fi 6/6E, Open WiFi supports both Passpoint and OpenRoaming, both of which make it easier for users to join new Wi-Fi networks.
Lessons for Open RAN
Peterson acknowledged that OpenWiFi has progressed much faster than has open RAN. He explained TIP initially had an OpenWiFi group and an open RAN group. “We realized OpenWiFi would be easier,” he said. “We hope to see traction with the OpenWiFi initiative and restart the project in open RAN.”
Lessons learned in the journey to OpenWiFi could inform some of the open RAN group’s work, Peterson predicted. He said the primary takeaway from the OpenWiFi development was that manufacturers need to communicate directly with service providers, and that the same could apply to open RAN.
Boingo deploys both Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and Peterson said OpenWiFi could make WiFi more attractive versus cellular in some scenarios. He added that an OpenWiFi AP is essentially “an edge device you can put code on,” and said it might be possible to use the same code to manage a Wi-Fi network and a distributed antenna system operating in licensed spectrum.