It’s hard to keep up with Wi-Fi. Even as telecommunication providers continue rolling out Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7, the next generation is already taking shape. Wi-Fi 8 is now being defined, with early pre-standard products expected around 2027 and standardized devices in 2028. And while the step up to Wi-Fi 7 focused largely on speed—almost four times that of Wi-Fi 6—Wi-Fi 8 shifts the conversation to something arguably far more important for real-world performance: reliability and stability.
At the same time, AI is reshaping our entire industry, and now it’s coming for your Wi-Fi. The question for telecommunication providers is no longer whether AI will impact home connectivity, but how—and how quickly.
Wi-Fi is powerful—and increasingly complex
While Wi-Fi 8 and AI promise significant improvements, they arrive in a world where Wi-Fi is already a source of frustration for end users. There is little understanding of the dynamics of Wi-Fi and its sensitivity to interference from neighboring networks, microwave ovens, Bluetooth devices, baby monitors, and even people walking around a room (which, interestingly, is what gave birth to Wi-Fi sensing).
And with every new generation of Wi-Fi, the number of parameters, [LG1] and optimizations increases. The average household cannot be expected to tune their own networks. In practice, you need to be an engineer.
This complexity places telecommunication providers in a difficult position. When Wi-Fi underperforms, customers don’t blame their microwave—they blame their broadband provider. From a user’s perspective, “my Wi-Fi is slow” is indistinguishable from “my internet is slow,” even when the broadband delivered to the door is performing perfectly. That misunderstanding drives customer frustration and increased support costs for providers.
Managed Wi-Fi: the foundation for what comes next
The good news is that telecommunication providers already have a clear path forward: managed Wi-Fi.
With a cloud-based control platform, telecommunication providers can continually collect performance data from home Wi-Fi devices and automatically optimize key parameters. This removes the burden from the end user entirely. Instead of guessing whether they should [LG2] change a band or a channel, or tweak a setting, the network adjusts itself—often before a customer notices an issue.
Managed Wi-Fi also enables telecommunication providers to shift the demarcation point from the front door into the home. It’s no longer enough to deliver high speeds to the broadband router; providers must ensure high-quality connectivity in every room. Mesh networking and centralized cloud optimization allow them to do exactly that.
And because a managed platform sees all Wi-Fi nodes across the network, it can reduce operational expense by giving customer care agents and network administrators better visibility into root causes. Even today, without full-scale AI enhancements, managed Wi-Fi significantly shortens time-to-resolution and reduces operating costs.
AI will accelerate everything
Now, this is where AI becomes transformative.
Cloud platforms already gather enormous volumes of data. In Nokia’s case, we collect nearly 200 billion data points every 24 hours across deployed devices—an unprecedented dataset that gives intricate detail about how Wi-Fi behaves in real-world environments.
Today, network data is mostly analyzed using rules and heuristics. But in the near future, AI and machine learning will allow telecommunication providers to turn these data points into deeper insights:
- Identifying root causes faster by correlating symptoms across the home, the access link, and the RF environment.
- Automatically eliminating unlikely causes in seconds—something that would require a customer care agent walk through in dozens of checks.
- Improving guidance for support teams so they can resolve issues on the first call.
- Continuously optimizing Wi-Fi conditions across millions of homes in ways that are currently impractical.
The industry is on the cusp of a major step forward, and telecommunication providers that have already deployed managed Wi-Fi will be best positioned to benefit.
The path to monetization
Nokia has conducted a survey with around 600 gamers—hardcore broadband users—that suggests 8 out of 10 would switch broadband provider for better Wi-Fi; and be happy to pay a premium for it as well.
And once telecommunication providers deliver reliable, optimized in-home coverage, more value-added opportunities arise. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay for services and features like cybersecurity, parental controls, smart home protection, and more.
These can be sold as recurring add-ons or bundled into higher-tier broadband packages—packages that customers rarely downgrade from once adopted.
AI + Wi-Fi is coming fast
The opportunities that Wi-Fi 8 + AI will bring also come with a hefty dose of complexity. To manage it, and to get the best out of both, telecommunication providers should prepare for it now.
Managed Wi-Fi provides the platform, the data, and the operational framework that will make next-generation connectivity possible. It ensures customers get a superlative broadband experience. And it positions telecommunication providers to take full advantage of what’s coming next.
Learn more about Nokia Corteca Cloud and its capabilities at https://nokia.ly/4hJuhhg
