A Multitude of Networks: The future according to Ruckus Networks

In the 5G era, there will be a multitude of networks and technologies that will coexist over a long period of time. The 4G will not be immediately undermined by its position and replaced with the 5G, but it will remain relevant at least until 2023 or 2025.

The complementary technologies to 5G, such as WiFi 6, Zigbee, Bluetooth and so on, will become more important in the over the next few years and will respond to the needs of companies in a complementary way (or, in some cases, even an alternative) to 5G. Ruckus Networks gives an answer to how these technologies will enter the market and what role they will have in the future.

Ruckus Networks: there is not only 5G in the near and distant future

The current 5G problem is that of a cat biting its tail: there is a huge demand from companies interested in developing various use cases with new technologies, but this demand cannot be met because time is still needed to develop the infrastructure.

The more time passes, the more this demand will grow and will be difficult to satisfy. Many 5G usage scenarios will only be feasible in 5 years, but companies need to implement them now. Thus the technologies mentioned above – WiFi 6, Zigbee, etc. – become a key element in realizing projects already, without waiting for the 5G infrastructure to develop.

This diversification in networks adds complexity to companies, which have to manage a very large number of different networks and of different devices. The key is to create devices that manage multiple networks at the same time, to limit the complexity and reduce the security problems that can emerge from the management of multiple devices.

Creating converging access points, that is capable of managing multiple standards simultaneously (and managing WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and so on), is essential to ensure that companies can exploit the possibilities offered by new technologies without taking on excessive complexity. This is what Ruckus does, which proposes converging devices precisely to allow companies to face the challenge of transformation effectively.

A further problem that the companies that will use 5G will have to face will be the penetration inside the buildings. It will often be necessary to use repeaters or access points to have coverage inside buildings. This does not make the use of 5G more advantageous than the use of technologies already designed for indoor use such as WiFi.

In Ruckus vision, the future will be more like a set of networks that will coexist and will cover similar needs based on convenience in the specific case, rather than a single network that will be used for everything and everywhere.

It will be a multitude of networks of different types that constitute the backbone on which companies will be able to build their own services and specific use cases, from the automation of production to the tracking of materials in warehouses.

According to Ruckus, 5G is not the answer to all the questions, or the panacea for all ills, but a part (important) of a larger picture in which the one size fits all may not apply (one size is fine for everyone).