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5G NR vs. WiFi

5G NR (New Radio) and WiFi are both advanced wireless technologies designed to provide high-speed connectivity, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Here’s a detailed comparison.

Spectrum and Licensing

  • 5G NR: Operates in licensed spectrum bands, ensuring controlled and interference-free communication. It also uses unlicensed spectrum in some cases, such as in the 5 GHz band
  • WiFi: Operates in unlicensed spectrum bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and recently, 6 GHz with WiFi 6E), which are free to use but can be prone to interference from other devices

Coverage and Range

  • 5G NR: Designed for wide-area coverage, providing connectivity over large distances, from a few kilometers up to tens of kilometers with proper infrastructure. Indoor 5G uses small cells and indoor base stations to enhance coverage and performance inside buildings, addressing penetration losses and ensuring high-speed connectivity in indoor environments.
  • WiFi: Intended for local area networks (LANs), covering smaller areas such as homes, offices, and public hotspots, typically up to a few hundred meters.

Deployment and Infrastructure

  • 5G NR: Requires significant infrastructure investment, including base stations, antennas, and a supporting core network. Deployment is managed by telecom operators
  • WiFi: Easier and cheaper to deploy, typically involving only a router or access point. Deployment is usually managed by individuals or organizations without the need for telecom operators

5G can integrate non-3GPP access networks (such as WiFi) for seamless connectivity and enhanced coverage, allowing devices to switch between 5G and WiFi networks without user intervention

Throughput and Latency

  • 5G NR: Offers peak speeds up to 20 Gbps and very low latency (as low as 1 ms), supporting high-bandwidth and latency-sensitive applications like AR/VR, real-time gaming, and autonomous driving
  • WiFi: Provides speeds up to 9.6 Gbps with reduced latency compared to previous WiFi standards. It is suitable for high-speed internet access, streaming, and smart home applications

Capacity and Density

  • 5G NR: Designed to support a massive number of devices per square kilometer, ideal for IoT applications and dense urban environments
  • WiFi: Improved over previous WiFi generations to handle more devices simultaneously, reducing congestion in environments like offices, stadiums, and public areas. A single Access Point can handle few handreds of simultaneous devices

Quality of Service (QoS)

  • 5G NR: Offers sophisticated QoS mechanisms, including network slicing, which allows for the creation of virtual networks tailored to specific service requirements
  • WiFi 6: Implements QoS improvements through features like Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT), enhancing efficiency and reducing latency

Mobility

  • 5G NR: Provides seamless mobility support, enabling users to maintain connectivity while moving at high speeds, such as in vehicles or trains
  • WiFi: Limited mobility, best suited for stationary or low-mobility environments. Handoffs between access points can result in brief connectivity interruptions

VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi): WiFi 6 supports VoWiFi, allowing voice calls to be made over WiFi networks, which can be used as a complement to cellular services, especially indoors or in areas with poor cellular coverage

Use Cases

  • 5G NR: Ideal for outdoor and wide-area applications such as mobile broadband, remote healthcare, smart cities, and industrial automation. Indoor 5G provides enhanced indoor connectivity for enterprise applications, indoor positioning, and high-speed services within buildings
  • WiFi: Best for indoor and localized applications like home networking, enterprise environments, and public hotspots

5G NR Standardization

3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)

  • Overview: 3GPP is the primary body responsible for standardizing 5G NR. It brings together seven organizational partners and a variety of industry stakeholders to develop technical specifications for mobile telecommunications
  • Role: Defines the radio access, core network, and service architecture for 5G, ensuring global compatibility and interoperability.
  • Specifications: 3GPP releases technical specifications in a series of releases. 5G NR specifications are primarily found in Release 15, Release 16, and subsequent releases, which cover aspects like radio access, network architecture, and network slicing

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

  • Overview: ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations that allocates global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, and develops the technical standards ensuring networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect.
  • Role: ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) defines the requirements for 5G and incorporates 5G NR into its IMT-2020 standards framework.
  • Specifications: ITU-R M.2083 outlines the vision for 5G (IMT-2020), including performance requirements and technical specifications.

WiFi Standardization

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

  • Overview: IEEE is the leading body responsible for the development of WiFi standards. IEEE 802.11 is the working group within IEEE that develops the specifications for wireless LANs
  • Role: Develops and updates the 802.11 series of standards, including 802.11ax, which is commonly known as WiFi 6
  • Specifications: IEEE 802.11ax standard specifies improvements in efficiency, flexibility, and scalability, enabling new and existing networks to handle more users and devices

Wi-Fi Alliance

  • Overview: The Wi-Fi Alliance is a global nonprofit association that promotes WiFi technology and certifies WiFi products for interoperability
  • Role: Ensures that WiFi devices from different manufacturers work well together and meet industry standards. The Wi-Fi Alliance also certifies products to ensure they comply with the IEEE 802.11 specifications
  • Specifications: Provides certification for WiFi 6 devices, ensuring they meet the performance and interoperability criteria set by the IEEE 802.11ax standard

Conclusion

While both 5G NR and WiFi are designed to deliver high-speed wireless connectivity, 5G NR is tailored for broad, wide-area deployments with enhanced mobility and network management features, making it suitable for large-scale and outdoor applications. Indoor 5G solutions extend this capability indoors, providing high-speed connectivity within buildings. WiFi, on the other hand, excels in local area networks, offering high speeds and improved device handling for indoor and smaller-scale environments. Both technologies are complementary, often working together with non-3GPP access to provide comprehensive wireless coverage and connectivity. The development and standardization of 5G NR and WiFi 6 are governed by key industry bodies. VoWiFi further enhances user experience by providing reliable voice service over WiFi networks.