Corning exec cautions against thinking too short term and not thinking big enough when it comes to Wi-Fi and 5G
Corning’s VP of Wireless Solutions and Product Line Management Michelle Engarto spoke with RCR Wireless News about some of the things to consider when designing and deploying a network in a large venue, cautioning businesses owners against thinking too short term and not thinking big enough when it comes to deciding whether to use Wi-Fi, 5G or a combination of both.
Q: Is the conversation, in your view, Wi-Fi vs. cellular, or rather Wi-Fi and cellular? And why is that?
It really depends on a lot of factors whether it’s worth it to have both Wi-Fi and 5G networks or whether you should be selecting one or other; either could work. It just depends.
Wi-Fi 6 is so much better in terms of performance and features than previous versions of Wi-Fi. And I know that a lot of folks are debating whether it’s really competing with 5G or if 5G will fall short, so knowing where 5G is going to work well is really important and to be honest, we’re all just starting to figure this out because there aren’t too many of us that have access to 5G—let alone enough case studies for either Wi-Fi 6 or 5G, that can verify what it takes to actually the advertised performance levels.
Generally, if you have a need for better performance, your network is getting clogged, is denser than it used to be and you don’t have a lot of centers or roaming centers, then Wi-Fi is a good option. I think Wi-Fi is very capable in a lot of cases, but there are some cases that are very ripe for 5G technology and I also believe it might be the bigger opportunity from an investment perspective for vendors.
Q: There is lot of “it depends” when it comes to answering the question of when to use Wi-Fi or when to use cellular. How does Corning approach this challenge when working with customers?
It takes a lot of effort and training of our salesforce and making sure that everyone understands how to ask the right question and drill down the right solutions. We do have a tool that helps us diagnose what the right direction is for a customer that narrows it down to one or two choices depending on their needs, business case and objectives.
We work really hard to […] make sure we’re not confusing the costumer with all the choices that are out there. I think that’s a lot of what’s going on in the marketplace right now on steroids. A lot of people in business and the consumers don’t really have any idea what 5G is. They kind of know what Wi-Fi is because they have access to it, but when it comes to 5G, it’s a big mystery because most people don’t have access to that kind of cellular service.
Q: I know that Corning has been focused on providing 5G coverage indoors. What’s the outlook for mmWave coverage indoors? Is it realistic?
We and others are developing indoor mmWave solutions that will be commercially available really soon, so yes, absolutely. The challenges are not impossible to overcome.
And mmWave comes with some pretty unique advantages because it is super-fast, but it is challenging because it doesn’t propagate very far. So again, you have to consider what are the needs of the business, where are you going to apply mmWave versus a mid-band solution, where is 4G still ok, and where can you use Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi 6.
But mmWave will be a really powerful tool and it will truly be differentiated in terms of performance. I don’t think there is anyone disputing that, people are just waiting to see how effective it will be in different applications and if it can deliver on what it promises, and what it will cost to do that. Because there are a lot of obstacles and challenges to overcome to make mmWave work well.
Q: What should an enterprise or venue keep in mind when designing and deploying its connectivity infrastructure?
The capabilities are quite different [between Wi-Fi and 5G], so you also should be considering the use of the space. You don’t rip out networks every year, so it’s an investment that you get a long-term return on. So thinking beyond today or tomorrow and not just solving the immediately problem is very important, because with 5G, we really have an opportunity, no kidding, to do things we’ve only ever dreamed of doing. It is real-time. It’s super-fast. It has very low latency. So, I would be careful not to think too short term because 5G is really going to make possible applications that we could only dream about before.
What I would say is, don’t think about your networks the way you thought about them in the past. Think about what it’s going to be able to do in the future, because I think people might sell the value proposition short because they’re not thinking big enough.
Q: How does the capital investment compare between the two technologies?
It depends on your objectives. Generally speaking, if you have applications and tools that work well with Wi-Fi right now, you’ll see an improvement if you upgrade to Wi-Fi 6, but that doesn’t come for free because you still need APs and equipment. Wi-Fi 6 has different chipsets, so it’s not just a software upgrade. It’s a serious decision. You can run Wi-Fi on unlicensed spectrum, so it’s easy to run. It’s known for being cheap and easy.
But if there are other things you want to do and you want to create a competitive advantage for your business, then you need to consider 5G to understand the advantages it could bring.
Q: What role do the carriers play in this conversation?
When you look at a lot of material, people will say that Wi-Fi is great because you don’t have to get your spectrum from a carrier. People really think there is value in not having to go through a carrier. I don’t see that as an advantage. I actually see it as a disadvantage, because [of] the complexity of the network, if your organization’s core competency is not building and maintaining networks.
Do you really want your IT people doing that? Or is there really an advantage to going through a carrier to get things like a private 5G network, so you can focus on your core competency and spending less time thinking about how you’re going to grow your IT organization and design a network?
I think private 5G networks are really going to boom. Carriers are starting to focus on verticals and organize that way because they recognize that different verticals will have different needs. I think they’re really tuned up in terms of being able to design and provide private 5G networks that are tailored to different verticals and I think they’ll do it very well.
