T-Mobile and Bright House Networks are teaming on a Passpoint-powered WiFi roaming trial that will tie in about 34,000 hotspots that the cable operator has deployed in Tampa and Orlando, according to T-Mobile Web pages that detail the effort.

Those documents, spotted by Fierce Wireless, note that about 50,000 customers will receive a text message asking them to opt into the trial. The test will use Passpoint on handsets to auto-connect to Bright House’s WiFi network, and only on Passpoint-enabled devices that support either WiFi Calling 1.0 or 2.0. Voice-over-LTE support isn’t required but is “strongly recommended for the best experience.” VoLTE is encouraged because it “will improve your experience by enabling call handovers between Wi-Fi and VoLTE network when on the move,” explains the trial FAQ.

Update: This is an upcoming technology trial and not a commercial relationship between T-Mobile and Bright House Networks. "Yes, we are looking to conduct a technology trial in the Tampa-Orlando, Florida market focused on Passpoint technology and access," a T-Mobile spokesperson said, in a statement. "We continue to look at ways to drive a better, more differentiated wireless experience for T-Mobile customers." 

Passpoint, also known as HotSpot 2.0, is a technology that brings cellular-like handoff and roaming capabilities to WiFi, and is sometimes viewed as enabler for MSO voice-over-WiFi services. T-Mobile is using Passpoint on some WiFi-capable handsets so its customers can connect calls, receive messages and obtain data via the carrier’s “Preferred” WiFi access points. Data used over WiFi does not count toward a T-Mobile user’s monthly data consumption bucket, the carrier said. 

When WiFi is turned on, T-Mobile explains, the Passpoint feature in the handset and Bright House’s WiFi hotpot will automatically connect customers when they are in range. “No password is required.” Passpoint-enabled devices eligible for the trial include several iPhone models, the HTC Desire, LG G5, Samsung Galaxy S5, and Sony Xperia Z3, among several others.

Time Warner Cable is using Passpoint to help underpin its roaming pact with Boingo.

Word of the T-Mobile-Bright House trial comes as cable operators expand the reach of their WiFi networks and as some consider WiFi-first mobile services that prefer WiFi connectivity and use cellular as a backup. The Cable WiFi Alliance (BHN, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and TWC are currently members) have deployed more than 400,000 quasi-public WiFi hotspots that are accessible to their respective high-speed Internet subscribers.  Of that group, Cablevision has launched a WiFi-only service called Freewheel.

Charter Communications, which is in the process of acquiring TWC and Bright House, has begun to deploy WiFi, under the “Spectrum WiFi” banner, and is expected to join the Cable WiFi group later this year.

Speaking Wednesday (August 5) on Charter’s second quarter earnings call, company president and CEO Tom Rutledge was asked about T-Mobile’s openness to potential cable partnerships and his interest in working with a wireless carrier.

“I think wireless is a component of our service already,” Rutledge said, referring to Charter’s WiFi rollout. “So I think there are opportunities, business opportunities, to create mobility for us whether that's with T-Mo or any other provider for that matter. I think opportunities exist there and people are trying to figure out the right business models to do that.”

Time Warner Cable is freshening up its consumer voice product with the launch of Phone 2 Go, an app that lets its phone customers text, place and receive voice calls and video calls on tablets and smartphones while they're away from home without incurring extra costs.

TWC is offering the new app on the iOS (version 6.0 or higher) and Android (version 4.1 or higher) platforms TWC, which is in the process of being acquired by Comcast, ended the second quarter with about 5 million voice subscribers (TWC is scheduled to report third quarter results on Thursday, Oct. 30).

Phone 2 Go compatible devices include iOS 6.0 and higher (iPhones, iPads and iPad Minis) and Android 4.1 and higher (smartphones and tablets).  

Once TWC phone subs download the app, they can set up the mobile device to receive calls forwarded from their home phone via WiFi or cellular data connections (customers can register up to five devices), even when travelling abroad, the MSO said. The app also lets customers manage their voicemail remotely.

TWC is introducing the app as it continues to expand the reach of its WiFi network, which now includes 50,000 hotspots in several of its markets, including Southern California; New York City; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City; and Hawaii. That number jumps to more than 250,000 when factoring in the “Cable WiFi” hotspots deployed by roaming partners  Comcast, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks. TWC has also been rolling out Passpoint/Hotspot 2.0 technology that ties in more security features and allows for more cellular-like handoff capabilities as users move from one WiFi hotspot to another.

“With the launch of Phone 2 Go, home phone service is no longer limited by physical location. Our customers can now use their Home Phone service and calling plan no matter where they are, including overseas,” said Jeff Lindsay, GM of Time Warner Cable Home Phone service, in a statement. “Phone 2 Go brings tremendous value to our customers, not only in terms of convenience, but with real savings by accessing their Home Phone service and plan on-the-go using free WiFi to eliminate the worry of cellular voice overages and high international calling charges.”

Comcast has launched a similar product, called Voice 2go, that lets customers make and receive calls via their home phone numbers using the MSO’s Xfinity Connect app.

Denver – SCTE Cable-Tec Expo -- CableLabs is working with several standards groups on products and tools that will rely on standards and specifications that will enable cable operators and other carriers with the building blocks necessary to develop and manage “carrier-grade” WiFi networks.

The vision, explained Mike Poletti, the lead wireless architect at CableLabs during Monday’s Pre-Conference Symposium here, is to give operators the tools, software and equipment necessary across the WiFi ecosystem to boost the overall, inherent quality of their WiFi networks. 

All of this is coming into play as MSOs around the world continue to build and expand their metro-area WiFi networks. For example, members of the U.S. “Cable WiFi” roaming alliance – Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks ,  have already deployed more than 250,000 hotspots collectively.  On the international front, Comcast and Liberty Global announced a WiFi roaming deal earlier this month.

The need for carrier-grade WiFi will only become more pronounced as those networks are used for an increasing number of bandwidth-eating applications and services. Poletti presented data showing that the number of hotspots deployed worldwide by various carriers will grow from 5.2 million in 2012 to 10.5 million in 2018. Likewise, the amount of data mobile operators offload onto WiFi networks is expected to jump from 22% this year to 48% in 2018, Poletti said.

MSOs, meanwhile, are also developing apps that allow customers to take phone calls on WiFi networks, and consumers are using WiFi to receive streaming video.

CableLabs, Poletti noted, has been looking to meet this coming scale challenge by developing carrier WiFi requirements for several years in tandem with the IEEE, the Wi-Fi Alliance, and the Wireless Broadband Alliance.

The groundwork of that effort includes goals of providing a consistent user experience (good network attachment and maintaining network connection); network management (key metrics and performance indicators); and integrated “end-to-end” networks that support everything from provisioning to managing users when they are connected to the WiFi network.

Poletti noted that some WPA products  that currently comply with carrier-grade components of WiFi, including WiFi Multimedia, a feature that provides quality of service the traffic prioritization procedures for time-sensitive apps  that require low tolerance and network latency, such as video.  Another is Hotspot 2.0-/Passpoint, which allows client devices to auto-discover and connect to WiFi networks that support roaming agreements without requiring the user to manually input credentials. Time Warner Cable is an early proponent of Hotspot 2.0, which brings cellular-like, seamless connectivity features and enhanced security components to WiFi.

Carrier WiFi features under development include RF Performance criteria and limits to enable WiFi operators to support “link budgets” that can be factored into network planning; Multi-Band Selection, which defined requirements  for an access point to steer a client device to uncongested bands and channels; and a faster way (from more than 1 second today to hundreds of milliseconds) for devices to transition and re-authenticate across different access points.

The vision behind Carrier WiFi “is gaining traction and becoming more and more real,” Poletti said, noting that leading groups are expected to move ahead with certification testing in 2015 or 2016. The pace of pursuit is “pretty fast for standards bodies,” he said.

Looking to bring the kind of seamless handoff capabilities offered on cellular networks to the WiFi world, Time Warner Cable has added Hotspot 2.0 technology to “most” of its 33,000-plus hotspots deployed in parts of Southern California, New York City, Austin, Charlotte, Kansas City, Myrtle Beach and Hawaii.

The introduction of Hotspot 2.0 brings a level of seamless mobility to TWC’s WiFi network that will automatically keep customers connected as they roam from hotspot to hotspot. While that will help customers stay on WiFi networks and avoid having to fallback to cellular for regular data connection needs, the capability could come in handy if or when MSOs begin to pursue voice services that use a so-called “WiFi First” model.

TWC has also bolstered the security of that network by Passpoint-enabling it. TWC said it has launched a separate “TWCWiFi-Passport” SSID that adds in this extra layer of encryption, offering it alongside regular “TWCWiFi” SSIDs being broadcast by its hotspots. TWC said the Passpoint capability will bring “enterprise-grade WPA2” security, giving customers the same level of protection on its quasi-public WiFi network as customers get on their home WiFi links. TWC claimed that it now offers the largest Passpoint-enabled network in the country.

After authenticating on the TWCWiFi-Passpoint SSID the first time, customers will then seamlessly connect to the new preferred secure network whenever in broadcast range, the MSO said, noting that its Passpoint/Hotspot 2.0 network supports devices such as the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy 4, and HTC One, among others.

 “Our goal with TWCWiFi-Passpoint is to assure even our most security conscious Internet customer that it’s as safe for them to surf the Web on-the-go as it is for them to surf in their home,” said Rob Cerbone, VP Wireless Products for Time Warner Cable, in a statement. “The TWCWiFi-Passpoint network supports Hotspot 2.0 technology, which is a critical first step in setting up a seamless WiFi experience nationwide.”

TWC, which uses WiFi gear from Ericsson, Cisco Systems and Ruckus Wireless, said it will Passport-enable all new hotspots as it continues its network buildout.

TWC is also part of the “CableWiFi” roaming alliance that has deployed more than 200,000 hotspots so far. It was not immediately known how broadly its other members – Cox Communications, Comcast, Bright House Networks and Cablevision Systems – have deployed Passpoint and Hotspot 2.0, though it’s on Comcast’s roadmap, according to Fierce Wireless.

Update: Cox does not currently support Passpoint and Hotspot 2.0, spokesman Todd Smith said via email.

Comcast’s potential interest in a WiFi First approach, which would use cellular networks as a fallback when WiFi connectivity isn’t available, was revealed in its merge filing with the FCC.

"A ubiquitous Wi-Fi network built by Comcast could make a 'Wi-Fi-first' service, which combines commercial mobile radio service with Wi-Fi, a more viable alternative,” Comcast wrote.

The WiFi First concept is central to Scratch Wireless, which offers a WiFi/cellular combo that uses the Sprint network for the cellular side of that mix. Using open source technology, it is currently using a  modified version of Android on the Motorola Proton Q (Scratch Wireless’s  launch device) that uses WiFi as the primary network and uses cellular as a gap-filler.

On Wednesday (April 16) during a webcast presented by Multichannel News and sponsored by Scratch Wireless (access to the archive can be obtained here), Scratch Wireless co-founder and CEO Alan Berrey said his company has developed a version of its service tailored for cable operators.

“WiFi, like water, is plentiful and it’s cheap,” Berrey said. He said Scratch Wireless is in “active discussions” with cable operators, and anticipates that pilots could start as soon as this summer, and possibly follow by initial deployments in the fall.

More coverage of today's webinar will be presented soon.