When used in combination, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 offer the best of both worlds—fast, seamless, and secure connectivity—allowing users to move in and out of buildings, up and down floors, and commute back and forth, with the bandwidth they need.
Here are a few of the ways 5G and Wi-Fi 6 complement each other:
- 5G provides broad geographic coverage, while Wi-Fi 6 works locally within buildings. Their overlapping footprints help eliminate any wireless service gaps across widespread campuses and metropolitan areas.
- When deployed in a unified plan, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 give end users more choices. They can easily switch between 5G and Wi-Fi 6 as needed, based on location, security requirements, or access privileges. Lucas refers to this shifting user behavior as “fluidity.”
- 5G and Wi-Fi 6 deliver faster speeds and lower latency than their predecessors, so there is consistency in performance as people commute or change locations.
- Both technologies can be used at home or in the office, providing a familiar experience for hybrid and work-from-anywhere (WFX) environments.
5G and Wi-Fi 6 can be mixed and matched in countless ways. In addition to private networks within buildings, millions of users are served by T-Mobile’s 5G network, which is available in three frequency bands: low-band (under 1 GHz) for broad geographic coverage; mid-band (1 GHz to 6 GHz), which is comparable to broadband cable services; and high-band, or millimeter wave (24 GHz and above), for dense urban settings such as sports stadiums and airports.
“We’re delivering different frequencies for different uses,” explains Lucas.
This “layered” model is the basis for T-Mobile’s Build Your Own Coverage program, which is a framework for establishing cellular coverage that is tailored to a business. It offers guidance on factors such as on-site wireless infrastructure, signal source (T-Mobile or other), wireless service providers, and costs associated with power and backhaul transport.