eap Mailing List: Re: Issue 286: Security

[Jari Arkko (jari.arkko]

Bari, Farooq wrote:

> 2) Do not we do it today via SSID or PLMN ID etc? Do not the hotpsot
> operator try to announce themselve by trying to have a specific SSID for
> their customers and broadcasting it (it has its issues but they are
> relevant to this discussion). The hotspot operators can even announce
> their roaming partners today by using multiple SSIDs.

The use of virtual SSIDs is probably similar to what is
being proposed here, in that the presence of a network
is published and that there are fundamental limits to
how many such networks will in practise be published.
That is, both would probably be used in a commercial
setting to highlight the existence of a few large commercial
entities, rather than a hundred thousand served corporate
networks.

I think Bernard mentioned that hidden SSIDs are possible.
The same is possible in the advertisement scheme as well,
by not advertising all partners... not sure if the draft
mentions this case though.

--Jari