The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) launched OpenWiFi, a platform complementing its work in open RAN and which the organisation claimed will help service providers deliver seamless roaming and enterprise connectivity.

OpenWiFi is a free, open-source disaggregated Wi-Fi software system. It includes a cloud controller SDK with open APIs, and enterprise-grade access point firmware. The two elements have been designed and validated together.

TIP wants original design manufacturers (ODMs) to incorporate the firmware into white box access points for various use cases. OpenWiFi access points are seen as the building blocks for value-added services including WLAN or security, which original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can create using the software stack.

The Open WiFi stack includes open, standardised APIs and data models, scalable mobility and Wi-Fi meshing, extensible radio resource management, compatibility with 802.11u and OpenRoaming specifications, and analytics.

Fourteen OpenWiFi access point designs are already available for indoor and outdoor use cases, and TIP expects the number to double by the end of the year.

Nick Kucharewski, Qualcomm VP and general manager for wireless infrastructure and networking, said the “multi-vendor access point model creates an accelerated path for hardware partners to deploy high performance Wi-Fi technologies”.

Other companies involved include T-Mobile US, MediaTek, Facebook and Dell Technologies.

Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Group and MTN Group have commenced laboratory trials of OpenWiFi. TIP stated source code and test results would be made available to all stakeholders.

“OpenWiFi is a natural next step, building on the momentum created by TIP’s OpenRAN and OOPT initiatives”,  said Attilio Zani, executive director at TIP.