The visibility and importance of service provider WiFi solutions have grown tremendously in the last year or so, based on a growing realization of the benefits.  And it's not just for offload.   WiFi is a valuable tool in helping operators optimize their networks, monetize various applications, and handle the explosion in devices people use to connect to the Internet.

Cisco has been a mover and leader in the WiFi arena, and two recent customer deployments -Virgin Media in the UK and PT Telekom in Indonesia -further underscore the momentum.

Cisco and Virgin Media have collaborated on a Wi-Fi network that would bring mobile broadband to passengers of the London Underground subway system.  Working with Transport for London, the transportation authority for all London mass transit systems, Cisco and Virgin Media designed and built a Wi-Fi network that would not only bring a reliable broadband signal to London Underground's stations, but would be robust and durable enough to withstand the less-than-ideal environment under the streets of London.

This new network also had to be "elastic" -rapidly managing wide swings in traffic loads, with massive amounts of Internet traffic flowing through the network as people enter and leave the stations. 

Cisco is working closely with PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (PT Telkom), Indonesia's largest information and communications provider, to enable the rapid deployment of 100,000 access points across Indonesia. This will be the largest deployment of Wi-Fi access points by a single service provider in Asia.

• Wi-Fi is being deployed to offload mobile data from the macro cellular network, as well as to offer more convenient mobile broadband services in malls, hotels, schools, hotspots and public areas.
• Cisco? Service Provider Wi-Fi is part of Cisco's Small Cell solution portfolio.  It is a carrier-grade, end-to-end platform, built on Cisco's Next Generation Internet Architecture that can scale to support exponential traffic growth and millions of users with a mobile experience. Cisco Service Provider Wi-Fi is Passpoint-certified, and it incorporates Connected Mobile Experiences, providing a platform for unparalleled business innovation through location-based services.