• What is Wi-Fi 6?
Along with 5G, Wi-Fi 6 is the massive shift in connectivity happening worldwide. 5G is the new industry standard for cellular networks, and Wi-Fi 6 is the new standard for those Wi-Fi networks found in businesses and hotspots around the world. Both of these new standards represent a quantum leap forward by delivering dramatically higher speeds, lower latency and greater density. This will allow businesses and consumers to do things unimaginable on previous Wi-Fi iterations.
• How does it differ from what came before?
Wi-Fi 6 offers greater speed, latency and density. If you are in a conference room full of people, and you want 100 MBP throughput, Wi-Fi 6 is better in that high-density setting. Wi-Fi 6 also has something called deterministic scheduling, which allows for the use of any given band. It even makes significant improvements over today’s Wi-Fi’s power utilization in devices. If you are looking to download an HD movie in 10 seconds, Wi-Fi 6 can do it— however, Wi-Fi today, not likely.
• How will it improve the experience for the consumer?
Wi-Fi 6 will create a better experience for typical wireless networks with more predictable performance for demanding applications, such as 4K or 8K video, high-density, high-definition collaboration apps, all-wireless offices, and the IoT. With higher speeds and lower latency, it helps connected Wi-Fi devices preserve battery life. For example, a crowded baseball stadium is filled with internet-connected devices, which leads to slow speeds and connection for fans, inhibiting their ability to share photos, videos and content.
• Wi-Fi 6 is often seen as a competitor to 5G. Do you see them as competing or complementary technologies and why?
Fifth-generation and Wi-Fi 6 are complementary technologies. Fifth-generation is largely outdoors and mostly affects mobile devices outside of Wi-Fi networks.
Ali Amer is managing director,
service provider sales, Middle East
and Africa, at Cisco.
Along with 5G, Wi-Fi 6 is the massive shift in connectivity happening worldwide. 5G is the new industry standard for cellular networks, and Wi-Fi 6 is the new standard for those Wi-Fi networks found in businesses and hotspots around the world. Both of these new standards represent a quantum leap forward by delivering dramatically higher speeds, lower latency and greater density. This will allow businesses and consumers to do things unimaginable on previous Wi-Fi iterations.
• How does it differ from what came before?
Wi-Fi 6 offers greater speed, latency and density. If you are in a conference room full of people, and you want 100 MBP throughput, Wi-Fi 6 is better in that high-density setting. Wi-Fi 6 also has something called deterministic scheduling, which allows for the use of any given band. It even makes significant improvements over today’s Wi-Fi’s power utilization in devices. If you are looking to download an HD movie in 10 seconds, Wi-Fi 6 can do it— however, Wi-Fi today, not likely.
• How will it improve the experience for the consumer?
Wi-Fi 6 will create a better experience for typical wireless networks with more predictable performance for demanding applications, such as 4K or 8K video, high-density, high-definition collaboration apps, all-wireless offices, and the IoT. With higher speeds and lower latency, it helps connected Wi-Fi devices preserve battery life. For example, a crowded baseball stadium is filled with internet-connected devices, which leads to slow speeds and connection for fans, inhibiting their ability to share photos, videos and content.
• Wi-Fi 6 is often seen as a competitor to 5G. Do you see them as competing or complementary technologies and why?
Fifth-generation and Wi-Fi 6 are complementary technologies. Fifth-generation is largely outdoors and mostly affects mobile devices outside of Wi-Fi networks.
Ali Amer is managing director,
service provider sales, Middle East
and Africa, at Cisco.
