It’s been over a year since we heard about the Wi-Fi Alliance’s intention to certify hotspots and simplify the potential for mobile handovers. However, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced today that it has begun the process for certifying devices as compliant and compatible with its new Passpoint service, which has been under development since 2010.
Passpoint is a joint effort between Wi-Fi mobile hotspot operators, wireless network operators, and Wi-Fi service aggregators. This hardware testing promises to let phones and mobile devices automatically discover and connect to compatible networks, with the aim of creating an industry-wide solution for shared Wi-Fi access and roaming agreements.
The first batch of devices to be certified as Passpoint compliant are just wireless access points, but the Wi-Fi Alliance expects that many more devices — including smartphones, tablets, and laptops — will become certified as 2012 progresses.
Using this standard, it could be possible in the very near future for Tru SIM users to experience a seamless hand-off between the Tru network and Wi-Fi. If one were to speculate further, an integration of the Tru SIM and Tru App platforms could enable the possibility of using calling and messaging services over Wi-Fi.