Wi-Fi technology, especially Wi-Fi 6E, plays a vital role in enabling enterprises to optimize their connectivity capabilities. The significance is to improve the speed and reliability of wireless networks, thereby promoting seamless communication and data transfer. This article explores the necessary combination of dedicated 5G and Wi-Fi in enterprise connectivity.

Wi-Fi®, especially Wi-Fi 6E, plays a key role in transforming enterprise connectivity. As the first choice for indoor wireless connections for an increasing number of users and increasingly complex business applications, Wi-Fi is also a complementary technology that supports the performance of 5G applications. The combination of these two technologies allows for seamless connectivity as users move from one location to another throughout the day, providing coverage anywhere. As technology leaders look to create the most advanced networks possible, the question shouldn't be choosing between Wi-Fi and 5G, but how to use both Wi-Fi and dedicated 5G to deliver the seamless wireless connectivity users expect.

Wi-Fi 6E in enterprise settings

According to a 2021 report by Analysis Mason, Wi-Fi is responsible for carrying the majority of internet traffic generated by businesses and consumers. As the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6E unlocks the license-free 6 GHz frequency band to provide the capabilities needed to support the high-bandwidth applications that global enterprises rely on daily, including cloud computing, remote monitoring, and the complex Internet of Things ( IoT) devices and sensors that support daily operations such as factory and inventory monitoring. With the lower latency and higher throughput offered by the 6 GHz band, Wi-Fi 6E is poised to keep up with the speed of information exchange and virtual collaboration in today’s workplaces, and innovation will only accelerate.

According to IDC's latest enterprise WLAN market report, Wi-Fi 6E revenue increased by 14.1% from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, accounting for 10.4% of the enterprise market's access point-dependent revenue. Currently, more than 980 devices have obtained Wi-Fi 6E certification, and it is expected that 473 million Wi-Fi 6E devices will be shipped in 2023.

Wi-Fi's success is partly due to its affordable and sustainable nature. Wi-Fi connectivity requires minimal external infrastructure, making Wi-Fi implementation cost-effective and having less of an impact on the surrounding environment than installing and maintaining cell towers. As a low-power technology, Wi-Fi does not require the higher power levels of 5G and other cellular solutions to penetrate thick insulating facades. Still, some emerging enterprise applications require cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity to provide seamless broadband coverage.

Combine Wi-Fi with dedicated 5G

Start with a foundation of strong Wi-Fi connectivity to support your business's evolving digital needs, many of which occur indoors. While 5G is typically used to facilitate outdoor connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E and 5G can be paired in enterprise environments to ensure seamless, cost-effective coverage for critical applications such as chemical leak detection and factory management.

Implementing Wi-Fi and 5G simultaneously can optimize connectivity even as users switch between indoor and outdoor locations, which is especially useful in large industrial parks.

Layering 5G into existing Wi-Fi networks is a key component in building efficient networks that support smart cities, thereby improving reliability for outdoor applications. Smart city devices, such as water level monitors to prevent flooding, traffic monitoring hardware and smart street lighting, all rely on private 5G networks or carrier-grade Wi-Fi to report data to city planners. Meanwhile, smartphone users and low-power IoT devices are best served by reliable Wi-Fi networks.

The future of enterprise connectivity

Internet connectivity is an important socio-economic function, and Wi-Fi 6E delivers greater capacity, faster speeds and lower latency through the 6 GHz band. As businesses and their technologies continue to evolve, IT and network leaders have a responsibility to design and implement networks that provide users with reliable, secure and efficient connections. As enterprise connectivity standards rapidly evolve, it’s critical that enterprises prepare future-proof networks that will further prepare enterprises for rapid growth and expansion, and it all starts with the collaboration between Wi-Fi 6E and 5G .