In the world of wireless networking there’s an ongoing discussion on which technology will prevail and come out on top: Wi-Fi 6 or 5G. While both have been pitted against each another time and time again, it’s best to look past the marketing hype and instead focus on their differences, strengths, weaknesses, and actual use cases!
Essentially, there are two different types of wireless technology. Wi-Fi is a type of local area network (LAN) designed and used primarily for indoor applications. On the opposite side we have cellular networks like the LTE, 4G or (most recently) 5G, which are a type of wide area network (WAN) used both indoors and outdoors, usually over long distances. Now, let’s have a brief overview of both technologies and how they work!
Wi-Fi: an old-timer with a lot of verve
Wi-Fi, a wireless communication technology that uses unlicensed radio frequency spectrums, has been around for a while. First introduced in the late 1990s, it has been universally appreciated for the speed, cost efficiency, scalability, throughput and flexibility that it offers.
Its current generation, Wi-Fi 6, more technically known as 802.11ax, supports even stronger connections with more throughput and less interference even in dense or congested environments, and is capable of reaching speeds of up to 9.6 Gb/s.
Then we have Wi-Fi 6E, the latest extension of the 802.11ax wireless standard, which expands all of the described capabilities into the 6 GHz RF band – a new “fast lane" for compatible devices and applications, uncongested by the equipment running on older generations of Wi-Fi.
Despite its “advanced age”, Wi-Fi is doing more than fine. Analysts predict that its global market share will reach USD 31.3 billion by 2027, representing a rather impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 20% over 20221. Wi-Fi’s unwavering strength may stem from the fact, that it is so ingrained in our everyday life at home, school or office, that it essentially became a synonym for wireless communications.
It’s the primary access technology that we use as far as indoor wireless in all enterprise verticals.
David Coleman, Director of Wireless in the Office of the CTO at Extreme Networks
5G: a new kid on the block
5G is the umbrella term for the fifth generation of cellular network technology, that is slowly replacing 4G/LTE networks. 5G essentially operates on similar principles as 4G with a couple of technological tweaks, the most important being the Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing. What the OFDM technology does is reducing the interference during the transmission of a digital signal by sending it across various different channels.
5G is expected to be a major upgrade from its predecessors – we’re talking about up to 50x more speed, 10x less latency, and 1,000x more capacity than 4G/LTE2.
Due to the lack of coverage in the areas where enterprises may need it, private 5G becomes a viable option for many commercial enterprises. The technology is gaining a visible traction. Grand View Research, Inc. anticipates that the 5G market size is will hit USD 36.08 billion by 2030, representing a CAGR of more than 51% over 2023.
Let’s talk about the use cases
One of the key differences between cellular and Wi-Fi technology lies in where and how organizations can actually deploy them for maximum efficiency. We need to understand that both options bring certain strengths, but also limitations to the table. Both 5G and Wi-Fi 6 provide higher speeds, lower latency, and increased capacity over their predecessors. But the “million dollar question” remains: what is each technology actually best for?
One of the biggest strengths of 5G is its range, which makes it extremely well-suited for outdoor use cases, for example autonomous vehicle support. In addition, 5G also aims to support mobile backhaul and fixed wireless access use cases. For organizations that turned toward 4G and LTE for backhaul use cases, 5G aims to improve that connectivity, as well as bring cellular into the fixed wireless space.
On the other hand we have Wi-Fi, which traditionally is better suited to indoor wireless coverage. Notable Wi-Fi 6 use cases include increased support for IoT-connected devices and high-density wireless service for large locations like stadiums or sports venues. In this regard, the extended capabilities of Wi-Fi 6E can provide an interesting perspective, especially with the industry’s first outdoor Wi-Fi 6E access point being now rolled out on the market. The new, “untapped” 6 GHz RF band can also be used to extend connectivity to broader areas of campus environments, or even rejuvenate legacy equipment.
When all is said and done… which option is more viable?
No business operates in a vacuum. Technical capabilities aside, we also need to consider the aspect of economic viability and sustainability of both options. Primarily, customers want to understand costs of initial setup, deployment and maintenance to future-proof themselves and determine strategy and ROI.
In that regard, private 5G does come with a rather hefty price tag, although those costs are slowly starting to come down. Let’s consider the hardware alone: if an enterprise decides to replace its legacy Wi-Fi solution with private 5G, they not only have to invest in the infrastructure, but replace or upgrade all devices, too.
Then there’s also the matter of complexity.
Wi-Fi is a more mature technology”, says David Coleman. “It’s easier to use and manage and there are many providers highly skilled in design and deployment. There are not a lot that know how to do that yet with private 5G.
David Coleman, Director of Wireless in the Office of the CTO at Extreme Networks
Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. Friends or foes?
Circling back to the question of which technology will eventually come out on top – there is no way to provide one definitive answer because the question itself is “incorrect”. While there’s clear evidence of private 5G use going up, what is not happening is Wi-Fi going down.
According to wireless experts, the time has come for Wi-Fi 6 and 5G to join forces and work together, rather than ignite a competition. While the latest Wi-Fi and cellular technology generations have been pitted against one another, it turns out that the technologies make better friends than foes.
In reality there’s not that much comparison to them. Private 5G and Wi-Fi balance each other out. Over time they will complement each other. A lot of enterprises will use both technologies. Eventually we will see a convergence.
David Coleman, Director of Wireless in the Office of the CTO at Extreme Networks
For instance, management tools will allow enterprises to control Wi-Fi, private 5G and wired networks together, most likely through cloud-based platforms. Access policies will also converge sooner or later, with the same rules applied to both technologies.
As the two technologies will work together to improve wireless networks moving forward, artificial intelligence (AI) will also play a role in networking when it comes to enhancing efficiency and supporting more advanced troubleshooting techniques and anomaly detection.
There really isn’t going to be a winner. They’re likely going to coexist and complement each other over time.
David Coleman, Director of Wireless in the Office of the CTO at Extreme Networks