Batelco and Aptilo Networks have entered into a partnership to deliver business-to-business (B2B) or (B2B2C) Wi-Fi services in Bahrain.
The Bahraini operator has selected the Aptilo Service Management Platform (SMP) to deploy a nationwide managed Wi-Fi service. Batelco offers managed venue Wi-Fi services to enterprise customers, with the service deployed either on top of the customer’s existing Wi-Fi equipment or as a fully managed service with the Wi-Fi infrastructure included.
Batelco General Manager Enterprise Abderrahmane Mounir said: “We were looking for a vendor-agnostic solution that could match our high ambitions in scaling our Wi-Fi business both in terms of volume and functionality, and at the same time have a platform that will allow Batelco and its enterprise customers to engage with the Wi-Fi users.”
Furthermore, Batelco will deploy an additional Wi-Fi connection (SSID) exclusively for its subscribers at most public locations. When subscribers switch on their Wi-Fi, they will instantaneously connect to the secure Wi-Fi network at these locations. It is the SIM-authentication functionality of the Aptilo SMP that makes the Wi-Fi network as secure and seamless as any mobile network.
“Operator managed Wi-Fi is crucial not only as a profitable business but also to get indoor footprint for subscribers. This will become increasingly important in the 5G era,” said Anders Emilsson, VP Sales Middle East & Africa, Aptilo Networks.
