The ITU recognized the necessity for elevated indoor connectivity in 6G techniques — and which means Wi-Fi
For the primary time, the Worldwide Telecommunication Union (ITU) recognized ubiquitous connectivity as a requirement for 6G techniques. Dean Bubley, who’s an analyst with Disruptive Evaluation and Disruptive 6G, defined that whereas this largely refers to bridging the digital divide by incorporating issues like non-terrestrial networks, it additionally particularly calls out the necessity for elevated indoor connectivity. “And that can imply Wi-Fi,” he mentioned.
Bubley mentioned, too, that what’s “changing into more and more [clear] amongst not simply customers, however fortunately, lastly governments and regulators, is the significance of indoor wi-fi connectivity.” That, after all, is as a result of the overwhelming majority of wi-fi visitors happens indoors, and additional, Wi-Fi is sort of at all times the best choice for indoor connectivity. As such, he claimed, Wi-Fi is rapidly changing into a part of the “ubiquitous framework” that defines 6G.
Should you’re curious simply how a lot wi-fi visitors happens indoors, Ericsson’s 2023 Mobility Report places it at about 80%. It added that we spend roughly 90% of our time indoors.
However to realize ubiquitous Wi-Fi protection, Wi-Fi onboarding must be safe and seamless — two traits not sometimes related to Wi-Fi. That is the place OpenRoaming, developed by Cisco and constructed upon a set of requirements and tips developed by the Wi-fi Broadband Alliance (WBA) and Wi-Fi Alliance, comes into play in a giant method. OpenRoaming permits customers to affix any community managed by any supplier inside the established trusted federation of suppliers. The community is then in a position to routinely authenticate gadgets through the use of established identification suppliers, similar to a service supplier, machine producer, cloud ID and even loyalty memberships.
In keeping with the WBA Trade Report 2025, 81% of the 170 world trade executives surveyed are planning to deploy OpenRoaming. Of these, 25% have been already rolling out the know-how, 42% mentioned they might deploy in 2025, with 27% planning for 2026. When requested why they’re fascinated with deploying or investing in OpenRoaming or Passpoint compliant networks, Trade Report 44% of the respondents mentioned to allow seamless entry between Wi-Fi and 5G/LTE, whereas 43% mentioned to supply improved safety on Wi-Fi (43%). These high solutions have been adopted by enabling frictionless entry to Wi-Fi (39%) and enabling seamless entry throughout totally different networks (38%).
In a earlier dialog with RCR Wi-fi Information, the WBA’s CEO Tiago Rodrigues supplied an replace on OpenRoaming’s world adoption: “The U.S is getting begin; in Europe, we’re beginning to see some nations like Belgium … trying okay. London is beginning to get some traction, as effectively. One other nation that could be very effectively layered is Japan,” he mentioned. “OpenRoaming is all about safety and the person expertise. We’re tremendous enthusiastic to see that day by day there are new networks. Let’s be sincere, that is the beginning. Like several know-how, you want a place to begin, and I imagine we’ll proceed to develop over time.”
Finally, as service suppliers navigate the evolving connectivity panorama, Wi-Fi 7 emerges as a pivotal enabler of each reliability and innovation. From guaranteeing that customers absolutely expertise the gigabit speeds they subscribe to, to unlocking new income streams via premium companies and good dwelling purposes, Wi-Fi 7 is extra than simply an incremental improve — it’s a strategic necessity.
