Many companies and organizations are now looking at replacing their Wi-Fi with private 5G networks. Should they stick with their tried-and-true (and inexpensive) Wi-Fi deployments or jump into more expensive Private 5G, which offers the potential of exponentially more functionality?
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), which provides Wi-Fi advocacy, industry guidelines, trials and certification, asks, “Why not use both?” Since 2017, WBA has led efforts to demonstrate the benefits of converged licensed and unlicensed wireless technologies. As a matter of course, the WBA is releasing a series of white papers studying the convergence of private 5G and Wi-Fi.
Convergence will allow enterprises to utilize the high-speed, low-latency benefits of 5G alongside the broad coverage and flexibility offered by Wi-Fi, tailored to different use cases and industry demands, according to Tiago Rodrigues, WBA CEO.
“In many environments, the coexistence of Wi-Fi and private 5G is essential, and there is significant value in realizing synergies between these two technologies to increase competitiveness and reduce operational costs by the elimination of redundant functions, simplifying management, and greatly improving end-user experiences,” Rodrigues said.
Initially, the organization examined the different architectures of a converged private 5G and Wi-Fi network. The options included locating the core network and application services on premise. Alternatively, the core network and application services can be co-located in the cloud. In another possibility, the group said the control plane can be moved to the cloud so it can be used in a multi-site 5G core network deployment. In a hybrid model, some application services are placed in the cloud and others on premise.
“The key considerations for choosing each [architecture] include the nature of the application, latency in the core and RAN interfaces, as well as the location and manageability of services,” the WBA wrote.
This week, the association released a report outlining architectural considerations as part of a road map for enterprises to leverage both networks. The report was co-written by several tech companies including Broadcom, Cisco, Nokia, Aruba (an HPE Company), Boldyn Networks and Intel.
The report explores several technical solutions, including service functions that provide features such as security, WAN acceleration, and server load balancing. Also covered is how device connectivity status can be shared across networks for optimization and how latency can be improved by moving user traffic in Wi-Fi and private 5G access networks.
Next year, the WBA will begin developing industry standards, including roaming, access traffic steering, and Quality of Experience metrics.“This convergence strategy will set new benchmarks for network interoperability, security, and user-centric services, enabling enterprises to harness the strengths of both 5G’s speed and reliability and Wi-Fi’s coverage and flexibility,” the WBA wrote.
