Private 5G is not a threat to enterprise Wi-Fi. Think of them as allies.
That's according to Mehmet Yavuz, co-founder and chief technology officer of Celona. Yavuz, whose company provides private mobile networks, argued that the two technologies can and should peacefully coexist.
"I don't think 5G will replace Wi-Fi. But instead, 5G will be the perfect complement to Wi-Fi," said Yavuz, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering. He was speaking at the Channel Partners Virtual conference on March 3.
Yavuz said that although Wi-Fi has been a major success, "there really has not been a significant change in the wireless network architecture" over the last decade or so. Moreover, he said that while Wi-Fi can support high density wireless connectivity for bulk data, mission-critical applications need more.
Yavuz said 4G LTE has been "field-hardened" over the last several years, praising its traffic prioritization and use of OFMDA to ensure reliable link quality.
Now 5G will add ultra low latency and multigigabit data rates for the enterprise.
"Private LTE/5G gives full control and visibility to enterprise IT for the operation of the network," Yavuz said.
Moreover, partners should see the opportunity to expand their business. Wi-Fi can take care of the bulk data, while private 5G takes care of the mission-critical applications. They don't need to compete against each other.
"For channel partners, private LTE and 5G will be creating a new revenue stream on top of the Wi-Fi," he said. "This is because 5G will enable new markets and use cases that were not possible before."