Wi-Fi and 5G Are BFFs That Will Work Side-By-Side to Deliver the Best Customer Experience

By Philip Mustain, Mobolize | Founder and CEO

Many of us in the mobile industry will be heading to Mobile World Congress Barcelona to both share and learn about 5G and how it will be the next technology that brings faster and fatter pipes so lots of data can zoom along networks and make us and our businesses better connected.

While you are attending the show, don’t forget the importance of the Wi-Fi network in the exhibit halls.

As with all new technologies, we’re in the test time for 5G. Operators are developing areas of 5G throughout the world and testing not only the promise but the hard-core workings of network spectrum, equipment, technology and applications. It’s a huge job and everyone is watching.

But Wi-Fi is also making great strides in the technology and will continue to be an important part of every users’ daily experience. It will remain working side-by side with all current cellular networks even as we move to 5G.

In fact, users today rely on Wi-Fi as they move around with their mobile devices between home, work, traveling or just basically moving from place to place. Coffee shops, libraries, taxies, bars, restaurants, airports, businesses and more offer both public and private Wi-Fi.

Mobolize recognized the need for both cellular and Wi-Fi working well together and created MOBOLIZE | Bond, the only available on-device bonding solution.  Bond helps make the transition between these two networks smooth and efficient for users by eliminating the dreaded dead zone.

Dead zones? Yes, those areas where the device holds on to Wi-Fi past its connections zone and delays connecting to the cellular network. They are found in certain locations in our homes or at work where the Wi-Fi doesn’t work. Or when we start a navigation app in the garage or driveway where the Wi-Fi struggles, making GPS non-responsive. Ever walked out of a hotel and tried to connect to Uber or Lyft? No response means you’re in a dead zone.

Dead zones are experienced often today with our current mobile networks, and they will occur just as often with 5G too.

By recognizing the dead zone issue early on, we worked with partners to create Bond. Off-device solutions use servers to offload traffic and bond the two networks, but that’s costly and causes delays. Our bond solution immediately knows when Wi-Fi is getting weak and seamlessly moves the connection to cellular. Our test results show that our patent pending technology reduced the time of poor connections by 90%.

That’s today. With 5G, there will still be dead zones and Wi-Fi and cellular must be quickly bonded to maintain the high levels of intelligent connectivity that 5G promises. The only way to do this is to ensure that Wi-Fi and 5G maintain a smooth bonding experience as users move between networks. That means 5G and Wi-Fi are not just besties, but BFF*s.

*BFF = Best Friends Forever in case you didn’t know.

Photo Credit: Havas Media, MWC Barcelona