New global, tiered program designed to simplify how partners do business with NETGEAR delivers richer rewards, stronger enablement, and streamlined support for integrators, MSPs, and VARs serving small and medium enterprises.

November 4, 2025 – SAN JOSE, Calif. – NETGEAR® Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGR), a global leader in intelligent networking solutions designed to power extraordinary experiences, today introduced the NETGEAR Drive Partner Success Program, a reimagined global partner program built to strengthen collaboration, simplify engagement, and expand enablement for channel partners.

The new program aligns with NETGEAR’s increased enterprise focus, making it easier and more rewarding for integrators, managed service providers (MSPs) and value-added resellers (VARs) to grow with NETGEAR through streamlined tools, enhanced support and expanded go-to-market resources.

This launch marks the latest milestone in NETGEAR Enterprise’s evolution under the leadership of President and GM Pramod Badjate and advances the company’s mission to deliver simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness for small and medium enterprises.

“The goal of our Drive Partner Success Program is simple: make it easier for our partners to succeed and grow,” said Badjate. “Partners are the center of everything we do, and Drive will equip them with the tools, training, and support they need to accelerate business opportunities and revenue growth.”

The NETGEAR Drive Partner Success Program consists of three tiers — IGNITE, APEX, and APEX MSP — tailored to different partner service capabilities and business models. Each tier delivers benefits based on partner investment as demonstrated through customer impact and testimonials, as well as completion of training and certification milestones.

Program Benefits

NETGEAR Drive is built to accelerate profitability and sustainable growth, rewarding partners for service excellence and long-term co-investment.  Its tiered structure helps partners stand out in a competitive market and align more closely with customer needs, delivering exceptional value and expertise.

In addition to rewards, partners also gain access to co-investment opportunities, comprehensive training, marketing materials, collaborative campaigns, partner-focused technical support, and certifications that simplify selling NETGEAR’s business-class products. A new, dedicated partner portal further enhances self-service capabilities and streamlines program access.

Looking Ahead

To ensure a consistent global experience, NETGEAR Drive will roll out worldwide, giving all partners access to the new Partner Portal with the latest portfolio, technical information, and sales and marketing resources. Partners can continue transacting under existing program terms during the transition to ensure a smooth and seamless onboarding experience.

NETGEAR Drive Partner Success Program training materials and certification content will be available starting today, with new partner pricing and program benefits. Existing NETGEAR partners will transition to the new program by January 1, 2026.

To learn more about the NETGEAR Drive Partner Success Program, please visit https://www.netgear.com/business/solutions/partner-success-program/.

About NETGEAR, Inc.

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in the USA, NETGEAR® (NASDAQ: NTGR) is a global leader in innovative networking technologies for businesses, homes, and service providers. NETGEAR delivers a wide range of award-winning, intelligent solutions designed to unleash the full potential of connectivity and power extraordinary experiences. For businesses, NETGEAR offers reliable, easy-to-use, high-performance networking solutions, including switches, routers, access points, software, and AV over IP technologies, tailored to meet the diverse needs of small and medium enterprises. NETGEAR’s consumer products deliver advanced connectivity, powerful performance, and enhanced security features right out of the box, designed to help keep families safe online, whether at home or on the go. More information is available from the NETGEAR Press Room or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR: Facebook, Instagram and the NETGEAR blog at NETGEAR.com.

©2025 NETGEAR, Inc. NETGEAR and the NETGEAR logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Other brand and product names are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holder(s). The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. NETGEAR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Remote Work Security with Easy-to-Use Client VPN

Remote working, or telecommuting, allows employees to work outside a traditional office. This approach, often conducted from home, is gaining importance, particularly due to the digital revolution and the recent pandemic. Companies recognize its cost, productivity, and satisfaction benefits. Thus, remote working is becoming a standard in many industries.

However, maintaining online privacy and security is a complex task due to numerous challenges. Users often face risks such as using public Wi-Fi networks, which cybercriminals can exploit, and many are unaware of these risks. Data snooping is another issue, where third parties observe a user’s data without consent, posing a significant privacy threat.

Thus, providing a secure and easy-to-use VPN has become more critical than ever for a growing business and its workforce.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that creates a secure, encrypted online connection. This secure connection offers an additional layer of protection, mainly when using public Wi-Fi networks or accessing company files remotely.

What is Client VPN

Client VPN allows individual devices (clients) to connect to a secure private network from anywhere. It encrypts the user’s connection, making it difficult for third parties to detect the user’s activities or steal data.

What is a Site-to-Site VPN

Site-to-site VPN, on the other hand, allows multiple networks in different locations to connect to a central network through the Internet. This is particularly useful for businesses with several office locations or employees working remotely.

How VPN Benefits to Remote Workers

VPN technology provides a secure and encrypted connection, ensuring that all data transmitted between the remote worker and their company network remains confidential. It also offers remote workers the ability to safely access their company’s network and its resources, which is particularly crucial when handling sensitive data. Moreover, VPNs provide access control, allowing organizations to restrict and monitor access to sensitive information.

Protect Data and Enhance Cybersecurity in Public Wi-Fi

Under Cybersecurity, VPNs act as a first line of defense against cyber threats by masking the user’s IP address and obscuring their online activities. This makes it more difficult for cybercriminals to target specific users or launch phishing attacks. Additionally, VPNs can help protect against malware and other forms of cyber threats that may compromise the user’s system.

Secure Remote System Access

Under Secure Remote Access, VPNs provide remote workers with a secure pathway to access company resources, regardless of their location. This secure connection protects sensitive data from potential eavesdropping or interception. Additionally, it allows for smooth, uninterrupted remote work, fostering productivity and efficiency.

Manage and Control Access for Extra Protection

Access Control with VPNs allows companies to specify which users and devices can access specific resources. This minimizes the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data. Furthermore, it enables organizations to manage and monitor their network’s usage easily, enhancing overall security.

The Risk of VPN

Despite its numerous benefits, using a VPN is not without potential risks. These include the possibility of VPN service providers logging user activity, potential vulnerabilities in VPN software that could be exploited, and slower internet speeds due to encryption processes. Understanding these risks is vital to ensuring the safe and efficient use of VPNs.

How to Choose a Business VPN Solution

Choosing the correct Business VPN Solution can be complicated, but several factors can guide your decision. The security features are the first to consider, followed by these additional factors:

Interface and Ease of Use

The VPN solution should be user-friendly and intuitive, allowing your employees to integrate it into their workflow seamlessly. Given that employees use diverse devices dynamically in their day-to-day work, seamless VPN software that supports multiple platforms is also crucial for productivity.

Cost Effective

Cost is always a significant factor to consider. The VPN solution should provide excellent value for money and fit within your company’s budget. However, remember that the cheapest option may not always be the best, particularly with regard to security and reliability.

Flexibility and Scalability

As your business grows, your VPN needs may increase. Therefore, the chosen VPN solution should be flexible and scalable, capable of accommodating potential business growth and adapting to your changing requirements.

Privacy Policy

Moreover, the provider’s privacy policy should be transparent and robust, ensuring that sensitive data remains secure, confidential and comply with your company’s policy and standard.

EnGenius SecuPoint VPN – Seamlessly Connects Remote Workers

The EnGenius Cloud SecuePoint offers a seamless experience, and it stands apart with its tight integration with the EnGenius gateway, both the Cloud series and the Fit series. The unique per-user licensing model provides flexibility, sidestepping the limitations of per-device models, ofering a cost-effective VPN solution for enterprise and small business.

For IT Manager: Automatic Configuration

Once connected to the VPN server, the gateway immediately pushes the required configurations and certificates to SecuPoint. This ensures a seamless user experience and reduces the chance of errors that can arise from manual setups, which can cause connectivity issues or security vulnerabilities. 

In addition, the automatic configuration allows for quick and easy scaling as businesses grow and onboard more employees, avoiding the need for manual VPN setups that can be overwhelming and strain IT resources. Furthermore, automatic configurations are self-reliant, reducing the need for specialized IT intervention and offering long-term cost savings.

For Remote Workers: Instant Cross-Platform Security

For remote workers, the log-in process was made easy by simply logging in to the SecuPoint app.  It automatically configures the best security settings to keep your connection safe.

As work becomes more dynamic, employees need to switch between devices without losing their connection. The multi-platform feature ensures that you can stay connected and secure while transitioning between devices, whether the device is provided by the company or of their own.

Conclusion

As we embrace this new era of telecommuting, it’s clear that the right VPN solution is not just a luxury, but a necessity for safeguarding our digital interactions and fostering a productive, secure remote work environment.

The use of VPNs represents a significant stride in addressing these needs. By providing a secure, encrypted connection, VPNs ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted between remote workers and their company networks. The ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of such solutions are paramount for businesses adapting to the evolving landscape of digital workspaces. Furthermore, the integration of automatic configurations and cross-platform compatibility highlights a commitment to seamless and efficient remote work experiences.

Hotel entertainment has entered a new era, and guests are leading the change. Today’s travelers expect in-room TVs to work like their devices at home, complete with streaming, casting, and interactive options. Legacy cable and satellite systems alone can’t always meet those expectations or the operational needs of modern hospitality.

IPTV for hotels solves that gap. By delivering live television and on-demand content through a property’s IP network, IPTV offers sharper picture quality, flexible channel control, and a more personalized experience for every guest. Viewers can stream, cast, and access hotel services directly from the screen. For operators, IPTV means lower long-term costs and simpler upgrades. It also enables full integration with property systems like PMS, housekeeping, and digital signage.

Industry data shows that hotels switching to IPTV can reduce five-year entertainment costs by as much as 65%. Choosing IPTV can also cut energy costs by nearly a third. As the global market for IPTV in hotels grows toward an estimated $10 billion within the next decade, forward-thinking properties are already making the shift.

The takeaway is clear: IPTV has matured from an emerging option into a hospitality standard. It enhances guest satisfaction, streamlines operations, and protects long-term investment.

Read our full white paper to explore how IPTV can modernize your property’s entertainment experience and why hotels that upgrade now will lead the connected guest era.

Download full white paper

As the 2026 E-Rate cycle approaches, schools have an opportunity to modernize their infrastructure and prepare for the next generation of learning. The right network connects more than devices. It connects people, ideas, and opportunities that move education forward.

The modern classroom doesn’t run on chalk and projectors anymore. It runs on bandwidth.

From the moment teachers upload their lessons to the instant students power up their Chromebooks, the network quietly carries learning and collaboration forward. As schools prepare for their next E-Rate refresh cycle in summer 2026, dependable Wi-Fi and switching have become as critical as electricity.

The network is the classroom

New devices and applications are transforming learning, and K-12 IT leaders are managing much more than access points and switches. Each classroom is now a connected ecosystem of:

• Smartboards, digital projectors, and AV systems
• Laptops, tablets, and personal devices
• Sensors, cameras, and building controls
• Athletic and esports technology that demands real-time performance

For education environments, reliable coverage, high-density performance, and low-latency streaming are table stakes. But every new device impacts performance, increases management complexity, and introduces another potential point of failure to the network infrastructure. When the network slows, teaching and learning grind to a halt.

STEM in motion

Today’s K-12 classrooms have evolved into rich, personalized, interactive learning experiences. During a recent visit to a customer’s science lab, I watched students coding sensors on Raspberry Pis to track the temperature and humidity of their terrariums. Their data streamed wirelessly to dashboards they could check from home. Around them, 3D printers built objects, and tablets displayed visualizations.

It was STEM in action, a clear example of how far classrooms have come since the AV cart days of the 1990s. For IT teams, it was also proof of how much depends on the performance and reliability of the network.

The IT reality

Although reliable high-performance Wi-Fi is essential in every classroom, district IT teams are often stretched thin. They spend time on ghost issues, repeat tickets, and site visits just to locate the source of a slowdown. Without the right visibility and insight, troubleshooting becomes guesswork.

With RUCKUS AI^™, IT teams can move from reactive to proactive network management. Predictive analytics, real-time diagnostics, and automated troubleshooting provide clear, relevant insight into performance. That means fewer classroom interruptions, faster fixes, and more time to focus on strategy.

Esports and the campus network

Esports programs are no longer a novelty. They have become a powerful tool for engaging students with active, collaborative experiences. They are also a critical proving ground for school networks. Competitive gaming requires low latency, consistent throughput, and reliable quality of service. The same standards apply to more traditional learning applications like digital testing, streaming assemblies, and remote learning. That means a network that performs under the pressure of esports can handle most anything the modern campus demands.

Building for results

Every IT director shares the same goal: delivering an engaging, uninterrupted learning experience.

For teachers, that means fewer Wi-Fi complaints.

For students, it means consistent access to digital tools that support creativity and collaboration.

For IT, it means networks that help them anticipate, identify, and resolve problems before they reach the classroom.

RUCKUS Networks builds for this reality. Our Wi-Fi 7 access points and network switches deliver the performance needed for future applications. Dynamic PSK^™ (pre-shared keys) provides secure, simple access for students. RUCKUS AI gives IT teams the visibility and automation they need to manage growing demand efficiently. Together, these solutions create the foundation for a smarter, more reliable learning environment.

Looking ahead

The students writing code for sensors in classrooms today will become tomorrow’s engineers and scientists. Their learning experience should never be limited by weak signals or lag.

As the 2026 E-Rate cycle approaches, schools have an opportunity to modernize their infrastructure and prepare for the next generation of learning. The right network connects more t

– First Wi-Fi 7 deployment by Deutsche Telekom to use Airties Home software to enhance connectivity of broadband customers

– Airties software continues to be deployed across Deutsche Telekom’s European footprint

PARIS – November 4, 2025 – Airties, a global leader of AI-driven software that improves the connectivity experience for ISPs’ subscribers, today announced that it has been deployed to support Deutsche Telecom’s first Wi-Fi 7 launch for consumers across Germany. Today’s announcement builds upon the longstanding relationship between the two companies in which Airties provides managed connectivity solutions to Deutsche Telekom.

Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies. Airties empowers broadband service providers to deliver smooth, smart connectivity for all. Across the globe, ISPs rely upon Airties’ software for the ongoing optimization of their customers’ broadband experience to help reduce churn, attract new customers, lower operating and support costs, and innovate in new ways. Airties’ AI-driven insights, across devices and applications, helps ISPs improve performance quality, market effectively, and deliver a premium managed broadband experience to consumers.

“Launching Wi-Fi 7 in Germany, as part of a fully managed Wi-Fi experience, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to provide exceptional speed, connectivity, and reliability to our customers,” said Pedro Bandeira, Senior Vice President of Product and New Business at Deutsche Telekom. “We continue to rely upon Airties to help improve home connectivity, and we look forward to working with them, and all our partners, to launch Wi-Fi 7 to more of our customers.”

“We’re honored that Deutsche Telekom has deployed Airties to support their first Wi-Fi 7 launch across Germany,” said Metin Taskin, CEO and founder of Airties. “Our multi-year relationship is based on a mutual understanding that providing optimized and high-quality home connectivity is paramount to today’s consumers. Deutsche Telekom’s customers deserve the best possible performance across all of their devices and applications, which is what Airties Home was designed to help deliver.”

Airties Home directs consumers’ devices (laptops, tablets, phones, game consoles, IoT, smart home devices, etc.) to the best available Wi-Fi access point and frequency band based on real-time network conditions; manages Mesh networking; and optimizes QoS. It also helps ISPs observe, diagnose, and fix in-home connectivity issues automatically or through actionable recommendations; delivers insights and optimizations for connected devices and applications; and provides intuitive dashboards and APIs to support operators’ CRM systems and customer facing support apps to manage their home networks, set parent controls, prioritizations, guest access, and more.

Airties has received many prestigious industry awards for its innovations, including: “Best Home Wi-Fi Solution Award” from Broadband World Forum; “Best Wi-Fi Service Provider Solution” and “Best Home Wi-Fi Product” awards from Wi-Fi NOW; “Best Wi-Fi Innovation” and “Best-In Home Wi-Fi Network” awards from Wireless Broadband Alliance; “Best Broadband Customer Experience” from Cable & Satellite International; “Top Contributor Award” from the prpl Foundation, and numerous others.

Additional information about the Airties can be found at: www.Airties.com. Additional information about Deutsche Telekom can be found at https://www.telekom.com/en.

Exec Talk article by Shahnawaz Siraj, Director of Technology | Intelligent Connectivity at MediaTek

AI is transforming industries, and without exception, it has become the buzzword of networking. While vendors and equipment manufacturers are pitching the same AI use cases for networking, such as configuration management, self-driving networks, anomaly detection, application visibility and QoS, and location services, the real differentiation in the execution – how reliably and at scale these solutions work.

On end-user devices, the role of AI is obvious: live translation, image editing, and voice assistants. In the cloud, it’s even clearer: the cloud is the “ocean” where all the data flows, it is where centralized AI workloads can see the big picture, correlating patterns across millions of devices and networks. That’s what enables use cases like anomaly detection and others.

The harder question has been how AI is reshaping the edge, and in particular, the Wi-Fi edge.

In the home, the gateway is the logical edge compute point before traffic heads to the cloud, especially now that integrated Wi-Fi has become the standard.

When it comes to the enterprise, the definition of “edge” can be less clear: is it the WAN edge (SD-WAN/secure gateway), or the Wi-Fi access points where client devices connect? If we extend the home analogy, the WAN edge remains the logical place for heavier AI workloads.

It best addresses the key concerns of data immediacy, real-time responsiveness, latency, privacy, and network bandwidth efficiency.

Which then raises the harder question: what’s the unique role of APs (Access Points) in AI at the edge?

The reality is that the industry hasn’t yet landed on a breakthrough “AI-on-AP” use case, and that’s fine. The role of the AP isn’t limited to running AI itself, but also to be ready for the traffic shifts AI will create, through programmability, better QoS, and more flexible platforms. That’s where APs can make a real impact and this is where the conversation turns 180 degrees. It’s not just AI for Wi-Fi, but also Wi-Fi for AI.

Are Wi-Fi networks ready for the new, unpredictable traffic patterns that AI applications will generate? End devices will keep getting smarter and running more inference locally, but that won’t reduce the demand on networks. Instead, it will create new and unpredictable patterns: burst of high-throughput or latency-sensitive traffic and dynamic flows across devices and the cloud. That means Wi-Fi’s role is not just more bandwidth, but resilience, adaptability, and future-proofing against traffic we can’t yet define today.

The industry is also moving to standardize this space. Within IEEE 802.11, the AI/ML group is set to explore how AI can be embedded into Wi-Fi. There are use cases being discussed to enhance WLAN performance, for example, the AP can leverage dynamic capabilities of AI/ML to assist STAs in proactively selecting optimal configuration parameters. In parallel, there are use cases focused on enabling AL/ML itself over WLAN, for example, supporting federated learning across Wi-Fi networks.

At MediaTek, as an innovation and technology leader, we see ourselves as enablers. We develop and provide the complete platform, hardware and software together, along with the SDKs, tools, and reference use cases that let our partners and customers innovate further. Whether it’s optimizing QoS using AI, enabling hooks for edge analytics and troubleshooting, or preparing APs for workloads that haven’t even been imagined yet, our goal is to make sure Wi-Fi isn’t just keeping up with AI, but empowering it.

The future of AI will depend on the networks that carry it. And Wi-Fi, more than ever, is at the front line.

– First Wi-Fi 7 deployment by Deutsche Telekom to use Airties Home software to enhance connectivity of broadband customers

– Airties software continues to be deployed across Deutsche Telekom’s European footprint

PARIS – November 4, 2025 – Airties, a global leader of AI-driven software that improves the connectivity experience for ISPs’ subscribers, today announced that it has been deployed to support Deutsche Telecom’s first Wi-Fi 7 launch for consumers across Germany. Today’s announcement builds upon the longstanding relationship between the two companies in which Airties provides managed connectivity solutions to Deutsche Telekom.

Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies. Airties empowers broadband service providers to deliver smooth, smart connectivity for all. Across the globe, ISPs rely upon Airties’ software for the ongoing optimization of their customers’ broadband experience to help reduce churn, attract new customers, lower operating and support costs, and innovate in new ways. Airties’ AI-driven insights, across devices and applications, helps ISPs improve performance quality, market effectively, and deliver a premium managed broadband experience to consumers.

“Launching Wi-Fi 7 in Germany, as part of a fully managed Wi-Fi experience, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to provide exceptional speed, connectivity, and reliability to our customers,” said Pedro Bandeira, Senior Vice President of Product and New Business at Deutsche Telekom. “We continue to rely upon Airties to help improve home connectivity, and we look forward to working with them, and all our partners, to launch Wi-Fi 7 to more of our customers.”

“We’re honored that Deutsche Telekom has deployed Airties to support their first Wi-Fi 7 launch across Germany,” said Metin Taskin, CEO and founder of Airties. “Our multi-year relationship is based on a mutual understanding that providing optimized and high-quality home connectivity is paramount to today’s consumers. Deutsche Telekom’s customers deserve the best possible performance across all of their devices and applications, which is what Airties Home was designed to help deliver.”

Airties Home directs consumers’ devices (laptops, tablets, phones, game consoles, IoT, smart home devices, etc.) to the best available Wi-Fi access point and frequency band based on real-time network conditions; manages Mesh networking; and optimizes QoS. It also helps ISPs observe, diagnose, and fix in-home connectivity issues automatically or through actionable recommendations; delivers insights and optimizations for connected devices and applications; and provides intuitive dashboards and APIs to support operators’ CRM systems and customer facing support apps to manage their home networks, set parent controls, prioritizations, guest access, and more.

Airties has received many prestigious industry awards for its innovations, including: “Best Home Wi-Fi Solution Award” from Broadband World Forum; “Best Wi-Fi Service Provider Solution” and “Best Home Wi-Fi Product” awards from Wi-Fi NOW; “Best Wi-Fi Innovation” and “Best-In Home Wi-Fi Network” awards from Wireless Broadband Alliance; “Best Broadband Customer Experience” from Cable & Satellite International; “Top Contributor Award” from the prpl Foundation, and numerous others.

Additional information about the Airties can be found at: www.Airties.com. Additional information about Deutsche Telekom can be found at https://www.telekom.com/en.

The 3GPP specifications define two types of

non-3GPP access: trusted and untrusted. Non-3GPP access includes technologies such as Wi-Fi, WiMAX, fixed-line, and CDMA networks.

In the next three posts, we will explore the differences between trusted and untrusted 3GPP Wi-Fi Access and the various 3GPP standard methods for integrating these access types with cellular networks across different cellular generations (3G/4G/5G). We will only focus on 4G and 5G as the methods for 3G are essentially the same as for 4G, only with different names on the 3GPP nodes.

The numerous acronyms introduced with each new 3GPP release can be overwhelming and confusing. We’ve provided a ‘translation table’ to assist those of you already familiar with the terminology for 3G, 4G, or 5G.

Please note that these are simply ‘functions’ that may be delivered as a combined solution with one or more nodes, deployed as containerized functions, or integrated into the same virtual or physical gateway node.

Trusted 3GPP Wi-Fi Access

Trusted non-3GPP (Wi-Fi) access was first introduced with the LTE standard in 3GPP Release 8 (2008). Trusted access typically refers to operator-managed Wi-Fi networks that use encryption (enabled by 802.1x) within the Wi-Fi radio access network (RAN) and secure authentication methods like EAP.

In the case of trusted access, the user device (UE) connects through a Wireless Access Gateway (WAG/TWAG/TNGF/TWIF) in the Wi-Fi core. The gateway, in turn, establishes a secure tunnel directly with the Packet Gateway (GGSN/P-GW/UPF), which is also used for cellular traffic in the Mobile Core. For 5G standalone (5G SA) architectures, a null-encrypted tunnel is utilized between the device and the TNGF/TWIF—more details on this can be found in the Wi-Fi and 5G convergence section.

SIM authentication (EAP-SIM/AKA/AKA′ or 5G-AKA), performed by a 3GPP AAA server, is crucial for trusted non-3GPP access. Beyond authenticating, the device for access to the Wi-Fi network, it also generates cryptographic keys used for the Wi-Fi encryption (WPA2/WPA3).

Untrusted 3GPP Wi-Fi Access

Untrusted non-3GPP (Wi-Fi) access was first introduced in the Wi-Fi specification of 3GPP Release 6 (2005). At that time, Wi-Fi access points with advanced security features were uncommon, so Wi-Fi was generally considered open and unsecured by default.

Untrusted access refers to any Wi-Fi network over which the operator has no control, including public hotspots, subscribers’ home Wi-Fi, and corporate Wi-Fi networks. This also encompasses Wi-Fi networks that lack adequate security mechanisms, such as EAP authentication and radio link encryption (802.1x enabling WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise encryption). Conversely, a Wi-Fi network using EAP and 802.1x outside the operator’s control, for instance, an Enterprise Wi-Fi network, is still considered untrusted.

The flexibility of untrusted non-3GPP access, which works over any Wi-Fi network, makes it the preferred method for services like Wi-Fi Calling (aka Voice over Wi-Fi).

The untrusted model requires no modifications to the Wi-Fi network itself but does impact the device side, as an IPsec client must be deployed natively on the device. The device connects through a secure IPsec tunnel directly to an IPsec Termination Gateway (TTG/ePDG/N3IWF) in the Mobile Core, which is then linked through an encrypted tunnel to the Packet Gateway (GGSN/P-GW/UPF), which handles both cellular and Wi-Fi traffic. This integration means that the device must interact with mobile core network components like the HLR/HSS/AUSF-UDM for SIM-based EAP authentication (EAP-SIM/AKA/AKA′ or 5G-AKA) to establish the IPsec tunnel, but not for granting Wi-Fi access. This ensures the same level of authentication security as in the cellular network.