By Cheng Gang, Nokia; Jiang Yiming, Nokia; Qian Zhihong, Nokia; Luo Ye, Nokia; Rajamanickam Thirumurthy, Nokia; Huang Kaikai, Nokia
The commercial rollout of both 5th generation (5G) mobile communication and Wi-Fi 6 began around 2020, jointly ushering in an era of comprehensive wireless connectivity with high-bandwidth, low-latency technology features spanning both outdoor and indoor environments. These advancements have sparked industry discussions comparing these two technologies. The central question revolves around whether the rapid deployment of mobile communication will eventually supplant indoor Wi-Fi. The prevailing consensus is that both 5G and Wi-Fi possess distinct application scenarios, making them suitable for different purposes. The progression of communication technology doesn’t necessitate an either-or choice; rather, it underscores the importance of these technologies coexisting and complementing each other in various scenarios.
As a typical use case, people use 5G signals on their phones when they're outdoor, but when they return toindoor environment, they expect to leverage Wi-Fi for internet access. In such case, this leads to a technology that converges both the mobile 5G network and Wi-Fi access, allowing 5G devices toseamlessly connect with the communication network without disrupting the 5G services. The core challenge lies in linking Wi-Fi devices to the mobile core network using wired connections.
The integration of mobile networks and wireless LANs originated with 3GPP R6 version and was further refined in the 4G specification. However, due to limited business benefits and the complexity of the technical solutions, such convergence has not been widely commercialized by operators.
In the era of mobile 5G, the convergence of mobile and Wi-Fi networks presents a fresh opportunity. The gradual construction of 5G base stations and enhancements to indoor coverage are ongoing, representing medium to long-term engineering advancements. Additionally, the progression of 5G technology into millimeter wave technology necessitates robust indoor data transmission solutions.
Furthermore, leveraging service modular architecture and network functions virtualization technology, the 5G core network distinguishes control and data planes, making it easier to integrate and adapt to Wi-Fi access networks compared to the mobile 4G framework. Additionally, mobile 5G introduces support for network slicing. Enabling slicing in mobile networks requires support from the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN), core networks, and terminal equipment. To ensure comprehensive end-to-end coverage for 5G network slicing, a seamless solution involves connecting Wi-Fi and including slicing support within 5G network management. This naturally becomes part of the convergence of mobile and Wi-Fi networks, enabling Wi-Fi access networks to seamlessly integrate with 5G's management, configuration, and service operations, thereby supporting network slicing.