Why Web3 Needs WiFi OpenRoaming
For Web3 to reach its full potential, it needs widespread, reliable and secure WiFi connectivity that can support its decentralized infrastructure and ecosystems. This is where OpenRoaming comes in.
OpenRoaming is a new technology that enables users to connect to Wi-Fi and seamlessly switch between local networks without having to enter login credentials.
In this article we’ll explore why Web3 needs OpenRoaming coverage and how it can benefit from such technology to create a more seamless and immersive experience for dApp users, Metaverse visitors, and beyond.
We’ll also look at MetaBlox’s growing decentralized OpenRoaming network, which offers a blockchain-based foundation to fuel the development of Web3.
Inconvenient and Unavailable: the Limitations of Current WiFi Coverage
Several issues exist with current WiFi technologies, which put limits on its usefulness, as well as on the potential of Web3.
These issues include the inconvenience associated with connecting to a new network, availability shortcomings, and concerns surrounding security and privacy:
Inconvenience
Most WiFi networks installed by mainstream providers are password-protected, meaning that initial connections to each WiFi network are carried out through manual inputs (of usernames and passwords).
Users are therefore not able to switch to a new network automatically like they can while using cellular services, creating headaches and delays for them whenever they enter a location with a WiFi network they have not accessed before.
Limited Availability
Partly because of the network gatekeeping described above, WiFi availability outside of the home is limited.
And while internet providers have deployed open networks with public access points available to their customers, coverage remains limited because these networks are not integrated.
Security Concerns
WiFi networks that aren’t password-protected typically sacrifice security for convenience.
Many networks hosted in places like small businesses, venues, or outdoor public places are not password protected, nor do they include the same encryption and security protocols used for home or enterprise networks. This makes public WiFi users more vulnerable to attacks aimed at stealing their data.
OpenRoaming: the Key to Seamless, Global WiFi Coverage
With its WiFi OpenRoaming technology, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (or WBA) has pioneered a solution to the issues outlined above.
The WBA is a global organization that develops standards and new technologies for the wireless networking industry (including OpenRoaming). It’s made up of more than 100 leading organizations from the telecommunications, technology, and Internet industries.
Before explaining how OpenRoaming overcomes the barriers to seamless and widespread WiFi deployment, we’ll briefly recap this technology and its benefits:
By integrating local networks installed by different providers, OpenRoaming lets users connect to secure WiFi networks without having to input usernames, passwords, or other credentials.
When a user enters a new venue with a router compatible with OpenRoaming, their device automatically connects to the WiFi network it provides without requiring any manual intervention.
After connecting to WiFi at any OpenRoaming location for the first time, all subsequent OpenRoaming connections are automatic, regardless of the ISP or host of the given network.
Secure + Convenient
For a single local WiFi network to integrate into an OpenRoaming alliance of integrated networks, the WBA’s compatibility standards require it to provide enterprise-level WiFi connections. These connections are protected by the same security measures used for corporate networks that handle highly sensitive data.
In addition, OpenRoaming connections use digital credentials that are not entered manually but rather detected and verified by routers automatically; which is a more secure, less fraud-prone authentication mechanism.
These features of OpenRoaming address the security issues associated with existing public WiFi networks, and the issue of trading security for convenience.
That’s because under OpenRoaming, even local networks that are not individually password-protected are protected by security measures that are even more advanced than those securing personal home networks. At the same time, these measures still enable the convenience of automatic connections, for continuous, uninterrupted connectivity across networks.
Scalable + 5G Compatible
While enabling ongoing WiFi connectivity, OpenRoaming also enhances overall connectivity because it lets 5G cellular services and WiFi work together. Because OpenRoaming connections are seamless and automatic, cellular users can offload internet tasks to WiFi whenever they come within range of an OpenRoaming-compatible router.
This 5G-compatibility allows cellular users to save on data costs while enjoying the higher speeds and lower latency of WiFi connections compared to data.
Why Web3 Needs OpenRoaming
The high security, convenience, and connectivity offered by OpenRoaming is an attractive feature for everyday WiFi users, but it also provides a much needed foundation for the development of Web3.
That’s because dApps like Metaverse, MachineFi, and GameFi platforms require strong and seamless connectivity while moving from one location to another. Before OpenRoaming, this type of WiFi coverage was simply not available, while the internet connections provided by cellular data are not adequate to meet the speed and latency demands of Web3.
By integrating local WiFi networks under highly secure OpenRoaming federations, Metaverse and AR users, for instance, would be able to experience the full potential of these technologies with peace of mind.
And with widespread and continuous WiFi connectivity, Web3 users would be able to securely explore virtual and augmented reality in a smoother, more reliable, and more expansive way. This is especially true for VR and AR experiences that require users to move from one location to another.
At the same time, OpenRoaming would enhance the capabilities of Web3 IoT devices and MachineFi applications by providing improved connectivity. By improving the range and overall connectivity of smart devices (already a benefit for users), OpenRoaming coverage would also increase the amount of IoT data available for monetization using MachineFi applications.
Decentralized OpenRoaming: MetaBlox’s Web3 Native WiFi Solution
Although standard OpenRoaming technologies overcome WiFi deployment issues related to security, convenience, and availability, they do not fully acknowledge privacy concerns associated with traditional WiFi providers collecting users’ information for possible exploitation. Besides the issues with current WiFi services discussed above, vulnerability to data exploitation by internet providers and other third parties has also proven to be an issue for users.
To address this issue, MetaBlox is building a fully decentralized WiFi OpenRoaming network, where user data is not exposed to third-parties.
This is because users connect to MetaBlox OpenRoaming via a decentralized identity web credential (or DID), which is verified on a blockchain by a collection of nodes instead of a central third-party authenticator. As a consequence, there is no centralized entity that collects users’ data — all logins are carried out decentrally via blockchain.
In addition, DID credentials can be used to represent the user on the blockchain in whichever way they choose, even anonymously. This means users’ on-chain identity need not contain personal info. And since DIDs are held by the user themselves in an electronic wallet protected by a private key, it is much more difficult for these credentials to be stolen or exploited.
Download the MetaBlox app now to enjoy free decentralized OpenRoaming.
Community Deployment with Tokenomics
While incorporating these privacy measures, MetaBlox’s OpenRoaming network is also deployed by users themselves. MetaBlox network builders host miners which will issue M Point yields while providing OpenRoaming WiFi connections.
Mining rewards will become convertible to ROAM tokens after the token launch in 2024, though rewards can still be tracked from the MetaBlox app.
The more WiFi connections a miner-routers establishes, the higher the point yields for its host. Via tokenomics, MetaBlox’s decentralized OpenRoaming model puts the value created by WiFi services into the hands of everyday users operating miner-routers.
Order your MetaBlox miner now.
In Conclusion
The success of Web3 depends on widespread, reliable, and secure WiFi connectivity, and only OpenRoaming can provide this.
And while OpenRoaming is an attractive feature for everyday WiFi users, it also offers a foundation for the development of Web3 by providing strong and seamless connectivity for dApss including Metaverse, MachineFi, and GameFi platforms.
Furthermore, MetaBlox is taking OpenRoaming to the next level by building a fully decentralized, Web3 native OpenRoaming network that uses blockchain technology to address privacy concerns associated with traditional WiFi services. Thanks to MetaBlox OpenRoaming, the value created by providing WiFi services can now be claimed by individual members of the Web3 community, and everyday users themselves.
Stay tuned on MetaBlox’s community and social media channels for updates on Web3’s WiFi network.
