Roaming Revisited: The Challenge of Wireless Broadband

When we’re talking on our cell phones and either walking or driving (using a hands-free device, of course!) around town or long-distance, most of us never think about the complexity behind the scenes that allows us to continue our call regardless of which cell tower is handling the call. Nor do we give much thought to how the correct charges show up on our bill. It is good that someone does.

In the early days of cell phones, roaming was pretty clunky. Numerous calls were dropped as they were being handed from one carrier to another. And the impact on billing was significant. Today, thanks to ubiquitous roaming agreements among operators and consolidation among the leading providers, you still may be charged for roaming — especially if you travel abroad — but accuracy, call quality and the rate of dropped calls have improved tremendously.

But now with the growing popularity of smartphones and the widespread use of laptops, there is a new roaming challenge ahead.

From Cellular to Wi-Fi

With so many data-capable devices in the hands of users, Wi-Fi has become the de facto method for connecting at high speeds without wires, whether you’re at home or at any of the thousands of hotspots around the world. WiMAX, which has a much greater range than Wi-Fi, may not be as widespread today, but it’s a promising technology upon which roaming will have a great effect.

As more users have this capability literally in the palm of their hands, they’ll want to enjoy the same connectivity no matter where they connect. “If I have a CDMA or GSM device, the roaming model today is simple. When I move into a new environment, typically I don’t have to do anything,” said Jeff Gordon, CTO of Syniverse Technologies Inc., which provides the means for operators around the world to offer seamless mobile services to their users. “My device already has the ability to detect another network, and already has a preprogrammed preferred roaming list. This standardized mechanism governs the capturing and transmitting of that information to my provider, so I see all my charges on one bill.”

He added that cellular roaming largely was resolved years ago because the necessary standards and mechanisms were developed and put in place way ahead of user demand. “We had very advanced standards 10 to 12 years ago that governed roaming for CDMA and GSM,” Gordon said. “But now flip that over to Wi-Fi today, and I think we’re fundamentally in a different situation where the demand for roaming has come much, much sooner than the standards that oversee the management of that roaming.”

John Wick, product management director at Syniverse, said that even with Wi-Fi hotspots popping up all over the world, the standards and infrastructure to enable a seamless user experience still are largely in their infancy.

“If I move from hotspot to hotspot, in most cases my login or profile doesn’t go with me, and I have to manually identify myself and pay,” he said. “And once I’ve paid, I may have to repeat that process multiple times a day if I’m moving from place to place.”

In addition, users may be faced with a dizzying array of payment models and options when connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot. “You’ll find everything from an hourly rate or a flat rate for a certain number of hours to an all-day or weekly plan,” said Torbjorn Ward, CEO of Aptilo Networks, which helps providers manage data and voice services over Wi-Fi, WiMAX and metro wireless networks. “There’s no common denominator like a per-minute or per-megabyte charge, so it’s really all over the board.”

Ward added that a user may have to keep logging in and out, presenting identification or other credentials. This makes moving from hotspot to hotspot more of an inconvenience.

And, in a growing number of hotels, coffee shops and other businesses, Wi-Fi service is free.

“It’s very confusing for subscribers because of the different payment methods and models,” said Monica Paolini, president and founder of Senza Fili Consulting, which specializes in wireless data technologies.

Part of the problem, she said, is Wi-Fi has many more providers than traditional cellular service. Anyone who sets up a wireless LAN and offers user access can be considered a Wi-Fi provider. And with wireless ISPs (WISPs) blanketing small swaths of coverage area all over the world, the complexity of forging roaming agreements and reconciling those arrangements adds to the confusion.