Open system means that there is no any limitation for authentication.
WPA
8/11/2004,
Open system/shared key and WEP are two phases for the wireless connection between the wireless nodes.
The determination and distribution of WEP keys are not defined and must be distributed through a secure channel that is independent of 802.11. In practice, this is a text string that must be manually configured (using a keyboard) for both the wireless AP and wireless clients.