The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) announced the launch of OpenWiFi Release 1.0, a community-developed, fully disaggregated Wi-Fi system, including access point (AP) hardware, an open-source AP network operating system (NOS) and an SDK to build Cloud native Wi-Fi controller software for service providers and enterprises. On the heels of this announcement, the community of service providers and industry organizations across the world are kicking off lab and field trials of Wi-Fi connectivity solutions based on TIP OpenWiFi.
TIP OpenWiFi is a collaborative approach to build a disaggregated Wi-Fi software system, that will help the industry to accelerate the delivery of more innovative and efficient solutions for carrier and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi, through three key benefits:
• Lower barriers to entry to develop enterprise-grade Wi-Fi solutions
• Accelerated innovation, enabling easier adaptation to specific use cases
• More choice and better economics for enterprises and service providers.
There is already a strong demand signal for OpenWiFi, with both Wi-Fi and cellular service providers moving to test the platform for their specific use cases, and with industry organizations preparing to collaborate in trials.
A large and growing ecosystem of hardware and software suppliers are already building products based on OpenWiFi. There are 14 access point designs already available for indoor and outdoor use cases, and the number will grow up to 30 during 2021. At the same time, various software providers within the TIP community are building innovative solutions based on TIP’s OpenWiFi. Products compliant with the OpenWiFi tech stack and APIs will be identified with the OpenWiFi logo.