In 2021, I wrote this article about 5G and Wifi 6 convergence, and then in 2023, I addressed this big question: Are 5G and WiFi6E Friends or Competitors?
Conclusion of these articles if you don’t have time to read them as below:
📗The integration of 5G and Wi-Fi is poised to become more ubiquitous. Using higher frequencies in 5G while offering the potential for faster speeds also means a reduced ability to penetrate buildings and more site densification is needed which can be solved by Wi-Fi and FWA.
Recently, I read an interesting paper from EENA about Mobile Data Offloading using WiFi. the most interesting point in this paper is that Wi-Fi is Insecure but never for Wi-Fi Offloading, But Why?
📗As a prerequisite for Wi-Fi Offloading is that the user is securely authenticated (EAP-based authentication) and authorized for the secure Wi-Fi network that is encrypted over the air (802.1x).
This figure explains the authentication procedure:
- Using EAP-SIM/AKA/AKA’, SIM Authentication is all about a seamless and secure user experience. The user device is automatically connected to the encrypted (802.1x) Wi-Fi network(s) defined in the MNO Wi-Fi connection profile.
- A SIM authentication server, such as the one in Enea Aptilo SMP, integrates with the mobile core’s user identity database (HLR/HSS/AUSF) to authenticate and authorize the user.
📢Note: If a user accesses their home Wi-Fi network or logs in to a public Wi-Fi hotspot through a captive portal, the data traffic is offloaded to Wi-Fi, which is not considered Wi-Fi Offloading.