Talking wireless convergence, open roaming, 5G, and the future of Wi-Fi 7 with Matt MacPherson
This video podcast from Matt McPherson, Cisco wireless CTO, discusses the state of Wi-Fi and cellular convergence, the importance of seamless roaming across Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and how Wi-Fi 7 enhances the user experience compared with earlier Wi-Fi standards.
What is Wireless Convergence?
Wireless convergence refers to the integration of different wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi and cellular networks, to create a seamless user experience. This is important because users expect to connect to the internet without interruptions, regardless of whether they are using Wi-Fi or 5G. The challenge lies in achieving seamless roaming between these networks, which requires effective management and coordination between various service providers.
How Does Wi-Fi 7 Improve User Experience?
Wi-Fi 7 introduces several enhancements over earlier standards like Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, including improved speed, reliability, and resiliency. It allows for simultaneous connectivity through multi-link operation, which helps reduce latency and provides a more predictable performance. This is crucial as users increasingly rely on wireless connectivity for various applications, ensuring a better overall experience.
Why is Seamless Roaming Challenging for Wi-Fi?
The seamless connectivity with 5G is largely due to established business-to-business roaming agreements between service providers, which number around 650 globally. In contrast, Wi-Fi networks are more numerous, with over 650 million access points, making it impractical to negotiate individual agreements. To address this, technologies like open roaming have been developed to facilitate easier connections across various Wi-Fi networks, improving the user experience.
Talking wireless convergence, open roaming, 5G, and the future of Wi-Fi 7 with Matt MacPherson
published by EXTREME INTEGRATION LLC
Extreme Integration has been in business for over 20 years. We are a network integrator that builds comprehensive technology solutions for education, hospitality, business, health care and government. Our solutions improve how people communicate. We work with our clients to design solutions to increase productivity, reduce costs & keep networks secure. Our comprehensive services include: Design and Management of Core Network Infrastructures, IP Telephony, Wireless LAN, Wireless Voice Communications, BYOD (bring your own device), Network Security, Video Telephony, Call Center Applications and remote workers/education.