Is Wi-Fi becoming more like 5G?

Accepted wisdom says that Wi-Fi wins in cost and capacity, while cellular is good for wide-area coverage, mobility and deterministic behavior. Is this changing as we move to Wi-Fi 6 and 5G – and eventually to Wi-Fi 7 and 6G? Both technologies are getting better, more efficient and less expensive. And we will need them both to meet our growing connectivity needs. But are the boundaries between them becoming less sharp?

Claus Hetting and Monica Paolini spar on how Wi-Fi and 5G are evolving and how their role in keeping us connecting is changing. More specifically, they look at the trends that enable Wi-Fi to support many of what we often think of as 5G use cases.

This is some of the ground they cover:

• Managed Wi-Fi and immersive services in the home
• Wi-Fi 7 impact on homes, enterprises and devices
• Wi-Fi 6E and the crucial role of 6 GHz
• Getting closer to deterministic performance with Wi-Fi
• Expansion of indoor coverage and RF sensing