The initiative from two industry groups - mobile industry lobby the GSM Association and the Wireless Broadband Alliance - aims to provide technical and commercial solutions for WiFi roaming, which would also ease the traffic load on operators' already crowded networks.

WiFi roaming will allow mobile devices to connect seamlessly to a hotspot using a SIM card for authentication, and it enables mobile operators to identify users securely.

"In the long-term vision consumers don't care about what they are connected to," said Dan Warren, technology director at the GSMA.

The industry groups said the first carriers would start to use the new technologies within 12 months, while it would likely take 2-3 years for this to become widespread.

More advanced operators can upgrade their WiFi networks with just a software upgrade, while others will need to change hotspots or servers to enable cellphones to use their networks.

(Reporting By Tarmo Virki. Editing by Jane Merriman)

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