Wi-Fi’s coming identity crisis

In the coming year, Wi-Fi will become a different animal than what we currently know and love. Thanks to carriers getting more involved in using Wi-Fi for network offload — as well as more devices seeking a Wi-Fi signal — this hippie technology is about to get the layers of security, authentication and manageability once reserved for cellular networks.

The mobile broadband service provider iPass has created a new service offering for mobile operators that allows them to offer the equivalent of Wi-Fi roaming, a key element to enabling carriers to charge for access to ubiquitous and quality-assured Wi-Fi. The new iPass service, called the Open Mobile Exchange, is only one of many data points in Wi-Fi’s slow transition from home networking tech for geeks to must-have for every mobile device, to perhaps another source of carrier revenue.