The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), a global forum for wireless operators including BT , Cisco , Intel and many more, has predicted that the first true Next Generation Hotspots (NGH), which claim to "drastically simplify" public Wi-Fi internet access, will finally begin to deploy over the next 12 months.

Next generation Wi-Fi Hotspots claim to differ from existing services because, much like cellular networks, they will allow your Laptop or Phone (plus many more devices) to securely and automatically connect with no need for users to manually enter a username or password.

As a side benefit this method would also make it easier for mobile operators (e.g. O2 UK) to "offload" data traffic from their busy Mobile Broadband (3G, 4G) networks and onto a nearby Wi-Fi Hotspot (i.e. one that they either own themselves or have a partnership agreement with).


The new hotspots claim to feature "similar levels of security to the cellular network" (that's probably not what people want to hear after the recent 'phone hacking' scandal), which includes end-to-end radio link encryption and SIM authentication. It will be interesting to see what happens when hackers inevitably find a vulnerability (nothing is 100% secure).

Many of the world's largest operators and vendors have already participated in tests of NGH technology and trials of more advanced features are due to take place during the second half of 2012. The UK is one of the world's biggest Wi-Fi Hotspot markets.