In the latest part of its stated mission to drive “seamless and interoperable” service experience of Wi-Fi across the global wireless ecosystem, the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has turned its attention to the emerging 6G ecosystem with the publication of a report outlining the business and technical requirements to help deliver more seamless connectivity across Wi-Fi and next-gen cellular networks.
The global industry body’s report, 6G & Wi-Fi requirements – enabling seamless connectivity across 6G and Wi-Fi,sets out WBA’s vision for a flexible approach to the transition, defining critical requirements to help guide future architecture and standards development.
At the heart of the document is the argument that Wi-Fi is essential to delivering the vision of 6G and should be considered in the design of the connectivity framework from the beginning. It added that to be successful, future convergence should consider different network ownership and deployment models, rather than relying on a single cellular-centric architecture.
Among technical areas covered in the requirements include multi-supplier interoperability, authentication and authorisation, simpler signalling and enhanced security, AI-enabled network recommendations, QoS-aware traffic steering and switching, user-centric mobility, energy efficiency and sensing.
The WBA said these capabilities can help address services needs ranging from autonomous industrial systems and emergency communications to connected vehicles, transport networks, immersive applications, smart cities and next-generation sensing.
Specifically, it makes the case that achieving the IMT-2030 ambition for ubiquitous connectivity means that a consistent user experience and deep indoor coverage will require Wi-Fi and cellular networks to work together more effectively. As Wi-Fi is already a common technology for indoor and other connectivity, an objective is to create a more flexible, modular and access-agnostic model that reflects how networks are deployed and operated, while making better use of the complementary strengths of Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.
The critical requirements for convergence cited in the report are described as helping to reduce the cost, complexity and fragmented responsibilities that have limited commercial adoption of previous convergence approaches. These requirements are said to help support more flexible deployment models, including architectures where Wi-Fi traffic can be anchored inside or outside the cellular core.
The report emphasised that greater convergence is not simply a technical objective and that real business value can be delivered from Wi-Fi and 6G convergence. It proposes requirements designed around outcomes that can help improve the economics of future networks, simplify how they are operated and create more valuable connectivity services for customers.
The study linked the requirements to commercial and operational outcomes that future convergence architectures should enable. These included lower network costs through simplification, consolidation and better use of existing infrastructure; better customer experience through more seamless mobility, improved indoor coverage and consistent QoS; greater automation and lower operational complexity through AI-enabled network selection, resource management and improved visibility across networks.
New commercial opportunities outlined including traffic offload, federated access, commercial partnerships and service level-based services across mobile, fixed and Wi-Fi networks. Meanwhile, new service opportunities are predicted to exist across industrial automation, smart cities, connected vehicles, intelligent transport, mission-critical communications and sensing.
Commenting on the report, Tiago Rodrigues, president and CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “6G must deliver ubiquitous connectivity across technologies, not simply a new cellular generation, and Wi-Fi will be fundamental to achieving that, particularly indoors. These requirements turn WBA’s vision into a practical framework that can reduce cost and complexity, improve customer experience, coverage and enable new commercial opportunities as the industry shapes future 6G architectures.”
For its part, leading UK operator BT, owner of the EE mobile network, said it welcomed the WBA’s work in identifying requirements for the effective interworking of future Wi-Fi and 6G networks.
BT mobile networks MD Reza Rehmana added: “We believe the best customer experiences will come from enabling seamless connectivity across different access technologies, building on the complementary strengths of mobile and Wi-Fi networks. The WBA’s continued focus on customer experience and network simplification is an important contribution to that objective.”
