5G, Wi-Fi 6 and more

Indoor coverage has always been a weakness for wireless – a weakness comparable to its limitations in reaching rural areas, but with a higher impact on revenues, because people spend most of their time indoors and this is where they mostly use wireless connectivity. While there is regional variability, there is wide agreement that 80% or more of cellular traffic is generated from indoor locations. Yet indoor cellular coverage and capacity are still limited.

The in-building market is still underserved, and much of the demand for enterprise and venue indoor connectivity is unmet. Two separate but mutually reinforcing trends – evolution of technology and development of enterprise-driven business models – could fundamentally change the way wireless networks provide indoor connectivity, by deploying more wireless infrastructure where we use it most: inside buildings.

In this Deep Dive report, we explore the impact of 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and other wireless technologies, and of new business models in shaping the future of IBW and enabling new use cases.