WWAN and 5G — Are Australian businesses ready?

As we hurtle to the end of 2022, it’s a good time to pause and reflect. A lot has changed in the last year and not just in Australia. In most countries, businesses and consumers are less concerned about the pandemic and more concerned about climate change and the state of the economy. And the ‘new normal’ is here to stay. One key theme over these last few unusual years has been connectivity. The new normal of working more from home, connecting via video and automation has been accelerated into our everyday lives due to lockdowns and health orders in the last few years. Now that pandemic restrictions are no longer in place, will the demand for digital connectivity continue to grow at this accelerated pace and are businesses prepared with the technology required to support it?

Spotlight industries

More and more industries are increasingly relying on Wireless WAN (WWAN) connectivity. With the imminent shutdown of 3G and the growth of 5G network availability across Australia, for many organisations, reliable, secure, fast and flexible connectivity is now possible. In Australia, industries like construction, manufacturing, agriculture and retail that are still experiencing strong growth all have the potential to be drivers of WWAN. As organisations continue to expand beyond fixed locations and increasingly deploy fleet vehicles and IoT devices to remain competitive in a digital-first world, wired connectivity will no longer be sufficient.

A recent report commissioned by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) titled ‘5G Unleashed: Realising the Potential of the next Generation of Mobile Technology’ (Deloitte, 2022), explored Australian business readiness for 5G and found that “many traditional industries including mining, manufacturing and utilities have … high levels of readiness. For instance, manufacturing businesses are using the low latency of 5G to conduct machine repairs through high-quality video streaming. This is compared to the low level of readiness of other service-based industries (such as retail trade), as well as businesses in agriculture (potentially due to their concentration in regional and remote locations) and construction (which has a high number of small businesses).”

What’s hindering adoption?

The most common hindrance to wireless WAN adoption across various industries is the lack of understanding of wireless WAN capabilities and maturity.

With the upcoming shutdown of 3G connectivity, businesses have the choice of 4G and 5G when moving to wireless connectivity. The AMTA report surveyed 400 business leaders in four key industries (agriculture, manufacturing, health care and smart cities) and found that “in general, businesses recognise the importance of 5G for the future and many have some level of 5G connectivity. Many businesses can see the potential from a range of 5G use cases. On the other hand, most businesses don’t have a strategy to exploit 5G, and some industries that have a lot to gain are the least ready to absorb the new technology”. With around a third of those surveyed indicating they need more information about precisely what 5G means for them, there’s a need for business leaders across Australia to educate and inform themselves about WWAN and 5G so they can remain competitive.

WWAN 101

Connectivity for fixed locations

A WWAN can provide connectivity over extensive areas that lack accessibility to reliable wired broadband or to locations that require a secondary connection to provide more bandwidth. When based off a 5G network, that connectivity is capable of handling increased bandwidth with faster speeds and lower latency.

A network on the go

A mobile WAN is a reference to connectivity in motion. This includes fleet vehicles travelling throughout various coverage areas, pop-up locations and any other location that would not typically have access to a fixed network because it’s either temporary or in motion. Regardless of their status, these locations still need secure, reliable network access.

Cellular IoT connectivity

5G is the key to realising the full potential of cellular IoT connectivity by providing improved speeds and security for IoT devices in dispersed or remote locations.

What is the relationship between WWAN, WLAN and 5G?

A WWAN takes advantage of LTE and 5G technology already suited for covering large geographic areas — including campuses, parks, cities and industrial sites — to provide connectivity for fixed and temporary locations, vehicles and IoT devices.

While WLANs continue to stake their claim as secure networks connecting devices and computers in small areas like homes, offices, or schools, the data transmitted on those networks must eventually break out into other sites, data centres or the cloud via an internet connection such as a WWAN.

5G and the enterprise networking

What used to be a discussion of WWAN vs WLAN is now simply a conversation centred on wireless connectivity. In contrast to many points throughout the history of wired and WWAN, it is now possible for an entire enterprise to be connected through a cellular broadband network. While Private 5G can be used to replace the LAN that connects devices in small areas, 5G can also serve as the backbone of the WAN that connects those devices to the cloud.

Right in the middle of those two nearly indistinct networks is a wireless edge solution giving enterprise businesses the freedom to connect people, places and things that drive more experiences, more ways to work, and better business results — anywhere.

Image credit: iStock.com/jamesteohart