Wi-Fi Alliance: Wi-Fi and 5G will be complementary

The Wi-Fi Alliance wants everyone to know that Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are complementary technologies that both help expand the functionality of the overall wireless connection structure. This is one of the key conclusions of the Wi-Fi Alliance's new white paper, "next Generation Wi-Fi: the Future of Connectivity" (Next generation Wi-Fi: the future of connectivity).

Earlier, the 3GPP standards organization said it was working on a 5G version of the unlicensed spectrum, the spectrum used by Wi-Fi. Asked if the Wi-Fi Alliance is concerned about this development, the group said that Wi-Fi can provide connectivity where it is most needed, while still making the most efficient use of unauthorized spectrum.

"Wi-Fi and 5G will be complementary, but Wi-Fi is the only technology that can provide unique fusion features that make Wi-Fi a successful model today," the Wi-Fi Alliance said in a statement provided to FierceWireless. " One of the biggest advantages of Wi-Fi is its ability to provide affordable performance, combined with high performance and device affordability, which plays an important role in establishing the universality and dominance of Wi-Fi. " This affordable performance, coupled with other inherent advantages we outlined in the new white paper, makes Wi-Fi best suited for handling a wide range of connectivity scenarios.

The alliance said its members were actively involved in the standardization of IEEE and 3GPP.

Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of the Wi-Fi Alliance, said at a news conference: "Wi-Fi continues to add more features to broaden the deployment plan."excitement about new technologies will come and go, while Wi-Fi maintains a good track record and is committed to core competencies, will continue to provide mission-critical connectivity and carry most of the world's data traffic."

Wi-Fi already supports high-resolution video streaming, Wi-Fi calls, smart home monitoring, hotspot access, citywide service automation, residential AR/VR applications and seamless roaming. Wi-Fi 6 or 802.11ax will bring new levels of Wi-Fi capacity and performance, and WiGig enhancement in the 60 GHz millimeter wave band will provide faster speed and longer range. The 2.4 GHz band is saturated and the 5 GHz band is becoming more and more crowded, which is why so many people in the Wi-Fi community are excited about the prospect of the 6 GHz band.