Wireless Broadband Alliance Launches World Wi-Fi Day To Address Connected Divide

The Wireless Broadband Alliance launched World Wi-Fi Day set for June 20 to focus industry, policy and public attention on addressing the divide between connected and unconnected societies. The alliance is encouraging cities, government bodies, fixed and mobile operators, technology vendors, Internet giants, service providers and retailers to unite to deliver “connectivity to everyone, everywhere.” The digital divide in developing nations and developed urban centers “is still a major issue,” said the alliance. Billions of people in developing nations are unconnected, and hundreds of thousands of people in developed markets like the U.S. are still struggling to gain Internet access due to poor infrastructure or slow Internet speeds, it said. “As the only universal unlicensed and affordable public access network, Wi-Fi connectivity will be the key to bridging the global digital divide -- connecting the unconnected and underserved,” said Wireless Broadband Alliance CEO Shrikant Shenwai.