The Wireless Broaband Alliance introduced a specification that could make it easier to seamlessly roam between mobile data networks and WiFi networks.
The Wireless Internet Service Providers spec (WISPr 2.0) potentially could make it easy to roam from GSM, UMTS, WiMax and Long-Term Evolution networks to fixed ones.
“Operators who create data plans across network types (3G, WiFi, WiMax, etc.) can use these specifications to make this process simple and secure across networks,” said Chris Bruce, of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, in an e-mail to Phone Scoop. “Actual implementation will be by these operators, but WISPr 2.0 and WRIX together provide enablers for inter-standard roaming (between 3G – WiFi / WiMax – WiFi).”
For consumers, the benefit is obvious, as you won’t have to worry about your data being interrupted because you come within range of a new network. Hopefully, future networks that take advantage of this spec won’t follow AT&T’s lead and make data you use on your own WiFi network count against your mobile data cap.
The move could also be very useful for mobile service providers because it could offload some of the heavy traffic to these fixed data networks. This is also one of the reasons you’re seeing a company like AT&T offer free WiFi at Starbucks.
Of course, this sort of tech has been promised for a while, so let’s hope the WBA can make this stick.
[Via WBA, hat tip to Phone Scoop]