Hotspot 2.0 will power the mobile Internet

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter's approach.

With an estimated 800 million new Wi-Fi-enabled devices entering the mobile market each year, new Wi-Fi networks are emerging to connect businesses and users inside public venues ranging from malls and airports to hotels, schools and universities.

One technology that will power the further development of this mobile ecosystem is Hotspot 2.0, an interoperable Wi-Fi authentication and handoff technology that allows mobile users to move from Wi-Fi hotspot to hotspot without selecting connections and entering passwords, the same way phones travel between cell towers without intervention.

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[ IN DEPTH: As navigation looks indoors, new uses appear ]

Business and venues interested in providing indoor location based services should make sure their indoor wireless network has been optimized for location and can provide the real-time location analytic policies and trigger-based marketing tools that engage consumers and employees within indoor venues.

A complete infrastructure overhaul is not necessary. Location-based services can be enabled via additional network and business intelligence on top of a business' existing wireless network infrastructure. Improved location accuracy can be achieved with incremental investment to the existing wireless network, making the future of the mobile experience more realistic for businesses and their consumers.

About the author: Friday is chief technology officer for the Wireless Networking Group, part of Cisco's Network Services Technology Group. He manages strategic wireless initiatives for the Wi-Fi (wireless LAN) and WiMAX broadband (wireless WAN) businesses.

About Connected Mobile Experience: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns1205/index.html

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.