Boris Bellalta, researcher and coordinator of the Wireless Networking Research Group of the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC) at UPF, has just published in the renowned journal IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine, a pioneer study on what the WIFI networks of the future might be like.

The main aim of this study was to identify the set of technologies that will guide the evolution of current Wi-Fi networks in the coming years and, in the first instance, will serve as the basis for the definition of the set of IEEE 802.11ax specifications in the year 2019.

As Bellalta explains, “the success that Wi-Fi networks are having today, motivated by their user-friendliness and high performance, may be their main enemy in the coming years”.

The massive deployment of these networks in all types of scenarios, including residential buildings, stadiums, convention centres and public parks, among many others, linked to the fact that Wi-Fi networks work in open use spectrum bands, “means these networks are deployed chaotically without any kind of coherent organization”, Bellalta alerts, and continues by saying: “In addition, the growth in the number of all kinds of devices that connect, from computers, mobile phones and tablets to water heaters, refrigerators and meteorological sensors, can create serious problems of co-existence between Wi-Fi networks operating in the same area in the use of the spectrum, thus having a serious effect on their performance”.  

The challenge of the Wi-Fi of the future is to overcome its current problems

The paper highlights the challenges that will be faced by Wi-Fi networks in the near future, and mainly stresses the need both to provide transmission speeds of the order of several Giga bits per second, in order to meet the new demands of users, and the obligation to solve the problems of coexistence between different Wi-Fi networks. From this starting point, the article identifies a series of technologies and solutions that may be considered to resolve the problems posed, stressing both the virtues and the still unresolved aspects.

As Bellalta comments: “The next generation of Wi-Fi networks will make intensive use of multi-user communication using both spectrum-sharing techniques and directional transmissions. In addition, the networks will be smart enough to adapt their operation dynamically adjusting the area of coverage or the set of channels used with the aim of minimizing interactions with other networks and providing the desired service”.

However, as the paper also points out, the success of the Wi-Fi networks of the future does not depend only on improving data transmission technologies and access to the spectrum, but also the integration of functions of the highest level with the aim of providing a good user experience such as the fast establishment of connectivity when a device changes access point, allowing direct communication between nearby devices or offering mechanisms to improve the service given to multimedia traffic.

Boris Bellalta coordinates the master’s degree in Mobile Communications taught jointly between UPF and the UPC.

Reference work:

Bellalta, B., “IEEE 802.11ax: High-Efficiency WLANs”, Wireless Communications, IEEE, volume 23 (1), pages: 38-46