Investing in the best network for your enterprise depends on understanding how the future of wireless connectivity will affect your business.
For enterprises that want to maintain a competitive edge, making the most of your WiFi network is a must. According to the Wireless Broadband Alliance, over $525 billion of economic value has been attributed to WiFi technology in the United States. By 2025, experts expect that value to reach $850 billion.
The latest generation of WiFi technology is poised to support that value add. Indeed, the emerging 802.11ax (WiFi 6) standard will help enterprises improve their networks and gain promising new opportunities. For the future of 5G especially, WiFi 6 can help enterprises bridge the gap between their WiFi networks and the next generation of devices.
What You Need to Know About WiFi 6
Enterprises looking to boost their WiFi network’s performance should understand the benefits of WiFi 6. According to VentureBeat, this newest stage of WiFi technology makes “more efficient use of the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, flooding each channel with denser data.” With WiFi 6 offering speeds up to 11 Gbps, it’s clear that it has a future in the most ambitious enterprises.
When you consider the tools that your team uses on a daily basis, the potential performance of WiFi 6 is game-changing. From video conferences to Cloud access, WiFi 6 promises better streaming capabilities, more dependable connections, and improved file sharing capacity.
Integrated into your enterprise’s WiFi network, this next generation will have lucrative use cases. With improved security and faster speeds, for starters, WiFi 6 can help enterprises make the most of their Internet of Things technology, serve warehousing needs, and support their teams during their day-to-day work.
How WiFi 6 Can Support 5G Needs
When it becomes more widely available later this year, WiFi 6 will help enterprises drive value from their 5G technology as well. Because WiFi 6 can deliver such competitive performance without requiring a dramatic overhaul of existing systems, it can allow enterprises to access 5G-level performance at a more affordable price point.
For example, WiFi 6 will support multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO), dual-band frequencies, and flexible channel sizes. Even as enterprises try to understand how 5G devices will factor into their short- and long-term plans, these capacities mean that WiFi 6 can bring 5G use cases to scale ahead of schedule.
Where WiFi 6 Fits Into Your Enterprise
WiFi 6 will be a boon to businesses — so long as they understand how to capitalize on the new technology. First and foremost, enterprises need to ensure that their networks have the capacity to accommodate WiFi 6 capabilities. By investing in a network built to support WiFi 6, you can get more out of your WiFi-connected hardware, take advantage of 5G-level speeds, and save money doing it.
However, adopting WiFi 6 isn’t without its challenges. From precise hardware updates to increased wireless interference from devices that demand greater speeds, improving your WiFi network calls for expert guidance and a steady hand.
If you’re curious how WiFi 6 WiFi can benefit your enterprise, reach out to TTI today. With a wireless network assessment, we can help you and your team design the IT infrastructure that will best suit your needs, budget, and industry.