19th Annual

15 - 17 October 2019 RAI, Amsterdam

Years of WiFi Report

#BBWF tmt.knect365.com/bbwf @BBWorldForum Broadband World Forum BB World Forum Introduction

It’s been twenty years since Wireless Fidelity was invented and first released for consumers by the IEEE committee 802.11. In the decades since it is no understatement to say that the WLAN technology has revolutionised how individuals and society connect and operate.

Wi-Fi is considered so essential to our daily It is no question that connectivity will life today that it is viewed as a utility. It’s be further boosted by the imminent the first thing we ask for when visiting a introduction of Wi-Fi 6, the latest iteration friend’s house; we demand access – for of the international standard which is free - in public areas like airports and designed to ease the limitations on the are frustrated when we cannot connect. network inherent in IEEE 802.11ac by, Alongside laptops, phones and tablets, among other things, connecting to multiple people are connected to a growing range devices at a time. of other devices from wearable health monitors to smart watches as the ubiquity This feature provides a rapid overview of Wi-Fi helps accelerate the era of the of how we got here, and where the Internet of Things. technology will go to next. n

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 1 20 Years A Brief Background of WiFi 802.11B released enabling speeds up to 5x faster than WaveLAN. But, interference FHSS from other ISM band FCC release 2.4 AT&T technology devices continued to slow GHz frequencies for installed 1st patented internet speeds by Hedy unlicensed use, sparking large scale Lamarr with a new era of wireless wireless the intended communications network at “Wi-Fi” Wi-Fi 4 (802.11N) use to guide Carnegie trademark boosted data speed, torpedoes Mellon claimed with dual band 2.5 and without being by trade 5.8 GHz combining the detected in association benefits of Wi-Fi 2 and 3 WWII the Wi-Fi Alliance

1941 1971 1985 1988 1993 1997 1999 2009 2013

802.11G arrives First IEE 802.11 offering the same Standard released, speed as WiFi 2 Norman Abramson based on WaveLAN but at 2.4 GHz for Wi-Fi 5 (802.11AC) develops early wireless technology compatibility – brought forth the networks that enables which lowered the use of multi-user computers to send cost of upgrading MIMO and Mesh transmissions as soon 802.11A widely to faster Networks to as data is available WaveLAN created adopted by corporate equipment but increase speed by NCR & AT&T workspaces due to left the vulnerable and enable to connect cash faster speeds to older devices multiple device register systems slowing the usage network speed tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 2 Congestion builds Since inception, the Wi-Fi standard has elegantly married multiple parts of the IEEE 802 protocol to seamlessly interconnect with . Successive improvements (variously 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n and more) have upped the ante in terms of performance.

The current standard, 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), GHz band come from microwave ovens arrived in 2013 and – as we know - allowed to ZigBee and Bluetooth devices among the full implementation of multi-user others, while the shorter range of 5 GHz MIMO and 4X4 spatial multiplexing to bands are absorbed by building materials achieve communication rates of 1Gbps making deployment in high-density areas, under optimal conditions. such as apartment complexes, problematic. The multiplicity of Access Points (AP) This supported the growth of several new in congested areas also cause Wi-Fi 5 WLAN applications, such as simultaneous connections to suffer from overlapping streaming of HD video to multiple clients channels and data hungry applications. and rapid synchronisation and backup of large data files. With the average household containing ten connected devices – a figure which is Despite employing CSMA/CA (carrier-sense forecasted to explode to 50 in the next few multiple access with collision avoidance), years according to - the introduction however, the networks remain susceptible of High Efficiency Wireless in E 802.11ax to interference. Competition in the 2.4 (Wi-Fi 6) cannot come soon enough. n

“With the average household containing ten connected devices – a figure which is forecasted to explode to 50 in the next few years according to Intel - the introduction of High Efficiency Wireless in E 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) cannot come soon enough.”

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 3 Enter Wi-Fi 6

802.11ax is Wi-Fi’s logical evolution. Unlike rely on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple previous Wi-Fi standards this new version Access (OFDMA), a protocol which when applied to isn’t focused on purely boosting headline Wi-Fi makes the network less prone to interference, improves spectral efficiency, and boosts speeds but prioritises to manage the performance at the Edge. connectivity strain caused by the ever- increasing number of connected IoT What’s more, Wi-Fi will share the same MAC layer devices and smart home gadgets. as cellular. This means that devices should more elegantly switch between mobile and Wi-Fi. Nor Specifically, 802.11ax is designed to operate is 802.11ax the only Wi-Fi technology in town. between 1 and 7 Ghz in addition to 2.4 and 5 Complementary to Wi-Fi 6 is the latest version of Ghz at theoretically 10x faster data rates (real- WiGig (802.11ay) which support deployments in world speeds will probably be around 2 Gbps). For the 60 GHz band and is primed for applications crowded environments such as stadia, throughput requiring very high speed over small obstacle is amplified up to 4x using higher order 1024 QAM free distances. . One example is a computer powering a 8K It delivers an improved experience (higher speeds, resolution VR headset in the same room, wirelessly; lower latency) for more users and devices in outdoor something that will undoubtedly transform the or dense environments while also providing flexible gaming experience for individuals across the support for the differing requirements (low power, globe. wide area) of the IoT. With the added capabilities “One example is a computer powering a of MU-MIMO it will be possible for more than 30 HaLow (or IEEE 802.11ah) operates in the 900 MHz 8K resolution VR headset in the same room, clients to receive and transmit data back to the band and is geared toward IoT devices, requiring wirelessly; something that will undoubtedly network at the same time. longer range, lower bandwidth, and lower power – such as smart homes, cars, wearables and smart transform the gaming experience for If that sounds like a match for the attributes industries such as agriculture and retail. It will individuals across the globe.” designed into 5G, then that’s because the associate with Wi-Fi networks in the 2.4/5 GHz architectural keys to 802.11ax are identical. Both bands if the equipment supports it. n

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 4 Looking to the Future

WI-FI AND 5G It’s clear that Wi-Fi will be integral Industry analyst Mark Lowenstein1 to the fixed and mobile broadband suggests that Wi-Fi will become a experiences going forward. Indeed, bigger part of conversations about next generation wireless strategy. Wi-Fi will increasingly be used for off-loading and even for backhaul, For example, key enterprise/service in the case of WiGig. provider focused Wi-Fi equipment suppliers such as Ruckus (now part of CommScope) With 5G promising to bring billions of and Cisco are incorporating CBRS (Citizens new devices online, all with varying Broadband Radio Service) spectrum into requirements, the importance of Wi-Fi their Wi-Fi solutions, bridging the licensed cannot be discounted; particularly when and unlicensed worlds. evaluating how to best support enhanced mobile broadband scenarios. 5G is also Boingo, long thought of as a Wi-Fi service important to the massive machine type provider in venues such as airports, is today communications and ultra-reliable low- much more of an integrator of neutral host latency communications usages—which wireless solutions. have needs that can be best served by Wi- Fi—that are connecting IoT devices to the Lowenstein also points out that the lines Edge for increased demands. between fixed and mobile broadband will continue to blur. It’s likely that operators Even though early Wi-Fi 6 commercial will use a mix of licensed and unlicensed equipment and routers have been services and spectrum and that Wi-Fi 6 announced by some of leading players will enable Wi-Fi to become a greater (Commscope/Ruckus, Cisco, Asus) and part of service providers’ edge strategy in 802.11ax chipsets have come on stream, the future. the ecosystem of compatible products for both client devices and infrastructure won’t be broadly available before mid-2020.

1. https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/industry-voices- lowenstein-all-attention-to-5g-don-t-ignore-wi-fi

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 5 WI-FI AND AI ASSIA provides new path to data that the alternative solutions do not improve Wi-Fi QoE beyond adding have. This put ASSIA in the unique position antennas, mesh and other access to train its AI system to reliably assess and optimize Wi-Fi residential performance. points, and bandwidth. This experience led ASSIA to propose ESM (Ergodic Spectrum Management) as the Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment, industry’s path forward to assuring quality Inc. (ASSIA) has been using data from Wi-Fi performance. its large global installed base to train its cloud AI system to assess and optimize ESM builds statistical distributions of residential customer Quality of Experience activity, links, and other Wi-Fi performance (QoE). In his Wi-Fi Now Shanghai keynote factors in the aggregate and uses the presentation on March 6th, ASSIA CEO recurring, ergodic portions for guiding the and Chairman John Cioffi, announced optimization of Wi-Fi. Ergodic means the ASSIA’s AI model for Wi-Fi management variation in time is consistent and can be and optimization. In a Wi-Fi Alliance characterized by a single distribution for special session on next-generation Wi- certain states in which the Wi-Fi channel Fi, also at Wi-Fi Now Shanghai, Cioffi exists. ASSIA’s CEO John Cioffi proposed proposed a new path forward using ESM the industry adopt ESM in three stages (Ergodic Spectrum Management) to guide from today’s simpler systems to more the optimization of Wi-Fi. advanced systems. Each stage represents an increase in the data shared across the Wi-Fi performance is becoming the primary industry and controlled through the cloud. determinant in how a residential customer perceives the quality of experience ASSIA also presented its unique QoE provided by their internet service provider. connection-component metric, “stability”. Wi-Fi can often be the weakest link in This index has four potential ratings, from subscriber performance regardless if “very unstable”, to “unstable”, “stable” and the wired connection is fiber, cable or “very stable”. copper. As a result, service providers are increasingly taking responsibility for ASSIA will continue to pursue and further managing and optimizing their subscribers’ develop Wi-Fi cloud management Wi-Fi and looking for innovative ways to interfaces in the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA) and deliver the best quality of experience. related open source initiatives. While the Wi-Fi Alliance and those contributing to the “Wi-Fi performance is becoming the primary With our over 7 years of managing now IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard have defined determinant in how a residential customer over 100 million connections for our service several future versions, real-world testing providers across the globe, ASSIA has perceives the quality of experience provided and usage is behind. ASSIA believes its collected a significant mass of data— recent breakthroughs can assist in moving by their internet service provider.” including call center and service dispatch the innovations forward. n

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 6 In Summary Since its inception, Wi-Fi has played an integral role in keeping us connected at home and in public. Real-world conditions have changed over the years, due in no small part to Wi-Fi’s extraordinary success.

APs are everywhere, indoors and outdoors, but current standards limit the scope of usage when it comes to power consumption, range and congestion issues with spectrum.

Hence the excitement building around 802.11ax. The next-generation technology will deliver a better user experience, especially as the number and diversity of mobile and IoT devices continue to grow. It can increase network efficiency and extend the battery life of devices and cope with the explosion of video consumption on the web.

In the first phase of 5G and probably beyond, network capacity will remain an ongoing challenge for operators trying to keep pace with the rapid growth of mobile data, driven by consumer thirst for streaming content and bandwidth-intensive applications. As such, unlicensed spectrum and Wi-Fi will remain integral components of most operators’ strategies. n

tmt.knect365.com/bbwf 7 19th Annual “There is no better way to gain an insight into the continued evolution of the

15 – 17 October 2019 broadband internet than at BBWF” RAI, Amsterdam Martin Wessel, Head of Technology Evolution, Telecom Argentina CONNECT WITH THE COMPLETE BROADBAND ECOSYSTEM IN AMSTERDAM

With diverse content covering everything in the marketplace - from current issues to future trends - 95% Broadband World Forum is the place to be in 2019. More OF OPERATORS VIEW ATTENDING than just an exhibition, it is the opportunity to innovate, BBWF AS IMPORTANT TO THEIR collaborate and learn, as we unify leaders from telcos JOB ROLE and solution providers in one place to upgrade, future proof and monetise next generation networks. 86% OF ATTENDEES USE BBWF TO KEEP This year the four conference tracks UP TO DATE WITH NEW TRENDS will deep dive into: AND INNOVATIONS

1. Next Generation Networks - The Future of Fixed 2. Intelligent Networks 95% OF OPERATORS ARE CONSIDERING WHERE 3. FWA, 5G & Mobile Broadband TO INVEST THEIR BUDGET WHEN THEY 4. Connected Life ATTEND BROADBAND WORLD FORUM

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