The Divide: WBA's Tiago Rodrigues on Wi-Fi spectrum and the goal of OpenRoaming

In this episode, we hear from Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), a nonprofit organization working to improve Wi-Fi technologies and services worldwide.

We discuss the importance of Wi-Fi access and harmonizing standards, as well as the relevance of emerging technologies like WBA's OpenRoaming to closing the digital divide, and why WBA is pushing governments to open more Wi-Fi spectrum or risk widening the global connectivity gap.

Here are a few topics discussed in this episode:

• About the Wireless Broadband Alliance and its research on the digital divide (1:12)
• What OpenRoaming is, and how it can broaden access to Wi-Fi (6:19)
• How OpenRoaming may complement residential broadband services (9:26)
• OpenRoaming is gaining traction with "major players" like Samsung (11:11)
• Why WBA is pushing for additional Wi-Fi spectrum worldwide (16:37)
• How Advantage Health Hospitals is using OpenRoaming at its clinics (18:15)

For an unedited transcript of this conversation, click the caption button in the video toolbar.

Related stories and links:

• About OpenRoaming (via WBA)
• The Divide: How Kwikbit is bringing broadband to mobile homes | Light Reading
• The Divide: How Presidio collaborates with the public sector on connectivity | Light Reading
• Edgewater Wireless CEO on how 'spectrum slicing' can boost Wi-Fi | Light Reading

— Nicole Ferraro, editor, Light Reading, and host of "​​The Divide" podcast.