By Craig Blignaut, Product Manager: WiFi at Vox
In the typical enterprise, there are a variety of applications required for use by various stakeholders; these different applications also demand different types of network technologies, from a speed and latency perspective, in order to function optimally. One of these technologies is WiFi - not only has it been growing in popularity, but also in terms of capabilities, and the next generation of wireless will open up new opportunities for local businesses in the year ahead.
Much of this will come down to the introduction of the WiFi 7 standard, which the WiFi Alliance expects will be finalised and fully implemented before the end of the first quarter of 2024. Some WiFi equipment manufacturers are already selling WiFi 7-equipped routers and access points, while few user devices such as high-end smartphones with similar capabilities are already on the market and will be able to take full advantage of the standard.
While South Africa has often been as much as a year or two behind when it comes to the adoption of new WiFi standards, this can prove to be a blessing in disguise: because of the delay in the finalisation of the WiFi 7 standard, the country is in a position to leapfrog the current best standard, WiFi 6e. Here are some of the trends that we can see as WiFi 7 adoption picks up.
1. Enabling high-bandwidth, low-latency applications
Where WiFi 6e delivers up to 10Gbps of bandwidth, WiFi 7 brings a theoretical peak bandwidth of up to 30Gbps and latency of below 5 milliseconds. Such low latency enables applications such as real-time automation, where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can be used to run a factory or manufacturing operation without any data packet losses that can lead to errors.
For consumers, the introduction of this wireless technology standard could see more people taking more to social gaming and eSports, as well as 8K streaming as the experience improves. In addition, PC and console enthusiasts will also be able to enjoy multiplayer gaming while being on a wireless connection because of the low latency. Then, after being talked about for years, next-generation wireless headsets might finally drive increased adoption of applications such as virtual reality, augmented reality and even mixed reality for both personal and professional uses.