Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) is the latest iteration of the wireless standard, aiming to address the growing demand for data connectivity and bandwidth. It offers substantial improvements over its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). 

Just as 5G revolutionizes mobile networks, Wi-Fi 6 is set to transform our wireless internet experience.

Key Differences Between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 5

Beyond speed, Wi-Fi 6 excels in supporting more devices without compromising performance. It offers four times the bandwidth of Wi-Fi 5, ensuring that network speeds remain stable even as more devices connect.

Wi-Fi 6 achieves this efficiency through two key technologies: MU-MIMO and OFDMA.

MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output)

MU-MIMO allows multiple devices to connect to a router simultaneously. Wi-Fi 5 supports up to four devices, whereas Wi-Fi 6 expands this capability to eight devices. Think of it as having more delivery trucks to distribute goods, enhancing efficiency.

OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)

OFDMA takes the concept further by enabling a single truck to deliver goods to multiple locations at once. This technology allows data packets to be sent to various devices simultaneously, optimizing network performance.

Advantages of Wi-Fi 6

While speed and device capacity are significant, Wi-Fi 6 offers other crucial benefits:

• Enhanced Security: Wi-Fi 6 introduces WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access version 3), a security protocol that encrypts connections and protects against brute-force attacks, even with weaker passwords. Although some non-Wi-Fi 6 devices support WPA3, it becomes a standard requirement with Wi-Fi 6.
• Higher Data Capacity with 1024-QAM: Wi-Fi 6 utilises 1024-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), which increases data capacity and improves speeds by 25% over Wi-Fi 5’s 256-QAM.
• Reduced Wi-Fi Conflicts with BSS Color: BSS (Basic Service Station) Colour helps mitigate interference from neighbouring networks by marking other networks and causing the router to ignore them, reducing signal conflicts.
• Improved Battery Life: Wi-Fi 6 features Target Wake Time, which schedules when devices check in with the router, conserving battery life by reducing the need for constant wake-ups.

Future-Proofing Your Network

Adopting Wi-Fi 6 is a way to future-proof your network. As more devices become Wi-Fi 6 compatible, having a Wi-Fi 6 router will ensure you can take full advantage of the capabilities of these new devices. Additionally, even non-Wi-Fi 6 devices can experience improved performance on a Wi-Fi 6 network due to better traffic management and reduced congestion.

Upgrading to Wi-Fi 6

To experience the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, both your devices and your router need to be Wi-Fi 6 certified. Similar to requiring Bluetooth 5.0 compatible devices for a phone with Bluetooth 5.0, both ends of the connection need to be Wi-Fi 6 capable to leverage its advantages.

Wi-Fi 6 represents a significant advancement in wireless technology, providing faster speeds, superior capacity for handling multiple devices, and improved efficiency. As the number of internet-connected devices continues to rise, Wi-Fi 6 is well-positioned to meet the growing demands for reliable and high-performance wireless connectivity.

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The internet is running out of IPv4 addresses. IPv6 is the next generation addressing protocol designed to solve this issue. As an ISP, transitioning to IPv6 is crucial for future growth. 

Here’s a 12-step guide to navigate this process:

1. Assess Customer Base and Future Growth

Determine your current and projected customer count (home and corporate). Request an appropriate IPv6 prefix: /32 for up to 50,000 customers, /31 for up to 100,000, and /30 for up to 200,000. If necessary, request an upgrade of your current prefix. Visit your Regional Internet Registry for requests.

2. Conduct a Network Audit

Evaluate your equipment for IPv6 support. Document all components, from upstream connections to customer premises equipment (CPEs). Push vendors to provide necessary support if lacking.

3. Get Professional Training

Enroll in training programs with experienced IPv6 deployment companies. RIPE NCC offers valuable IPv6 training material. Consider consulting services for a smoother transition, saving time and reducing potential business losses.

4. Confirm Upstream IPv6 Support

Verify IPv6 support with your upstream providers and configure BGP sessions accordingly. Ensure Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) used have IPv6 support. Seek better partners if your current ones lack support. Use tunnels like 6in4 or GRE only as temporary solutions if dual-stack is unavailable.

5. Review Security Policies

Update security policies to match those of IPv4, avoiding ICMP filtering for IPv6. Check IPv6 prefix filtering in BGP peers and review operational security considerations.

6. Update Monitoring Systems

Ensure all monitoring systems support IPv6. Systems should handle IPv4 and IPv6 equally, tracking traffic quality, stability, and visibility of your prefixes.

7. Design Your IPv6 Addressing Plan

Create a detailed addressing plan, different from IPv4. Use an IP Address Management tool for accuracy. RIPE Labs’ article on preparing an IPv6 addressing plan and the online IPv6 Subnetting Card are useful resources.

8. Deploy IPv6 in Core and Distribution Networks

Start with dual-stack deployment in core and distribution networks. Consider phasing out IPv4 in parts of your network later to reuse those addresses elsewhere.

9. Conduct a Small Trial

Begin with a trial in your corporate network. Allocate a /64 for each LAN or VLAN and maintain dual-stack configurations. Use Stateless Address Configuration (SLAAC) and RDNSS. Involve corporate and residential customers in this phase.

10. Prepare Access Network and Provisioning System

Update your access network and provisioning system, including billing systems. Choose an appropriate transition mechanism, like 464XLAT for residential customers. Use DHCPv6 prefix delegation for numbering customers, referring to RIPE BCOP for guidance.

11. Configure Provider-Side Translator (PLAT)

Implement NAT64 and DNS64 in your network. Avoid carrier-grade NAT (CGN) due to higher costs and complexity. For cellular networks, deploy PLAT and set up an IPv6-only APN. Ensure devices like Android and Windows support customer-side translators (CLAT).

12. Update Customer Premises Equipment (CPEs)

Update CPEs and conduct tests with customers. This step is critical and complex. Once successful, proceed with phased IPv6 activation and prepare for a commercial launch.

Jaze ISP Manager offers comprehensive solutions to help ISPs transition seamlessly to IPv6 with integration with all major BNG providers ensuring robust network performance and future-proof connectivity. Click here to know more.

What is 5G internet? 

5G represents the fifth generation of mobile networking, succeeding 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G. Designed to connect objects, individuals, and devices, 5G promises significant innovations and benefits over its predecessors.

Evolution of Internet Speeds

• 1G: 2.4 kbps
• 2G: 64 kbps
• 3G: 144 kbps
• 4G: 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps
• 5G: Expected to deliver 20 Gbps peak data rates and 100+ Mbps average data rates

5G vs. 4G and Fibre-Optic Internet

5G is expected to deliver peak data rates of 20 Gbps and average rates exceeding 100 Mbps. This is a significant leap from the current fastest fibre-optic speeds of 1 Gbps. 

While 4G LTE networks offer speeds around 12.5 MB/s, 5G could reach speeds as high as 2.5 GB/s. This means a 3GB file that takes 30 minutes to download on 4G could take only 35 seconds on 5G. 

Global Implementation and Investment

Ericsson predicts that by 2024, 5G will cover 40% of the world and handle 25% of all mobile traffic. This rollout requires substantial investment, with over $4.2 billion projected to be spent on 5G infrastructure.

Wireless but Not Entirely

5G replaces the physical last-mile connection with a wireless one, though the core network will still rely on fibre-optic cables. The challenge lies in ensuring individual connections maintain high performance despite potential congestion and physical barriers.

Cost-Effective Installation

Compared to fibre-optic internet, 5G installation is cheaper and less labour-intensive. The plug-and-play nature of 5G means faster, easier deployment, making it a more attractive option for many.

Concerns and Myths

There have been many concerns raised about the safety of the 5G internet. The radio waves emitted by 5G devices and towers are similar to those emitted by previous generations of mobile technology and are well below international safety standards.

Will 5G Replace Fiber Optic Internet?

Despite the impressive advancements of 5G technology, it will not replace fibre optic internet. Instead, 5G will serve as a crucial complement, especially for last-mile connectivity, while fibre optics will continue to play an integral role in the core network infrastructure. 

ISPs will need to navigate a future where both technologies play a crucial role. Broadband market is expected to grow at a steady rate and ISPs will continue to play a dominant role in deploying last mile fibre for fixed broadband services. ISPs will need to manage operations to be efficient and scale as their networks grow.

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As artificial intelligence (AI) models continue to grow, system design limitations have become the primary bottleneck. With advancements in conversational AI, computer vision, and recommender systems, AI models with hundreds of trillions of parameters are on the horizon. 

However, to sustain this growth, significant architectural innovations are essential, as current system designs are struggling to keep pace.

The Rapid Expansion of AI Workloads

The expansion of AI models has been astounding.

1. Transformer Model (2019): This was the largest natural language processing (NLP) model at the time, boasting 465 million parameters, fewer than the synapses in a honeybee’s brain.
2. Gshard MoE (Mid-2020): This model included more than a trillion parameters, roughly the same number of synapses as a mouse brain.
3. Future Projections: NVIDIA projects that by 2023, AI models could reach 100 trillion parameters, equivalent to the synapses in a macaque brain. If this trend continues, models with human-level synapse counts could soon be within reach. However, this is contingent upon the evolution of our computing infrastructure.

Overcoming Interconnect Bottlenecks

To keep up with the rapid growth of AI models, computational throughput must increase significantly. This means either adding more nodes or boosting the communication speed between nodes. However, even today’s most advanced systems face interconnect bandwidth limitations, maxing out at hundreds of gigabits per second (Gbps). 

Current Limitations: Copper-based interconnects face limitations in bandwidth, cost, power, density, weight, and configuration.

Tight Coupling Requirements: Today’s AI architectures rely heavily on GPU-HBM (high-bandwidth memory) and GPU-GPU communication, creating tight coupling requirements and increased latency due to the necessity of routing through the CPU to access DRAM.

Pivoting to Optical I/O and New Architectures

To address these challenges, a fundamental shift towards photonics, or optical I/O, is necessary. This technology uses light pulses instead of electrical signals to transmit data. 

• Higher Bandwidth: Optical I/O offers a significant boost in data transfer speed, enabling communication between components at much faster rates.
• Lower Latency: Light travels faster than electricity, reducing the time it takes for data to travel between processing units. 

With optical fiber there is practically no limitation on the amount of bandwidth that can be transferred and this will be critical to upcoming AI models.

ISPs and bandwidth providers will need to be ready to scale up their systems to cater to the increased bandwidth demands with the proliferation of AI.

This would require support for newer BNG routers with newer architectures such as CUPS which will help cater to increased bandwidth demands without high hardware costs.

Jaze ISP Manager integrates with all leading BNG providers to deliver high throughput RADIUS and DIAMETER services to cater to increased throughput and volume requirements of the future. 

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