Trial at Portuguese University, Initiated by Extreme Networks, Includes 8K Video and Interactive Experiences in Classrooms and for Remote Learning
London, UK: The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) today announced a successful proof-of-concept trial of Wi-Fi 6E at a major university campus in Europe. The trial showcases the Extreme Networks AP4000 Wi-Fi 6E access point’s unique ability to enable immersive, interactive learning experiences, including 8K video. This was also the first time Wi-Fi 6E was tested on a network connected to WBA OpenRoaming™, which enables seamless handover between cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
Conducted at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) in Portugal, the trial is a milestone toward a full deployment that will give faculty and students new options for interacting with online resources like video, both in classroom and remotely. The trial was a collaboration between IPV, Broadcom, Extreme Networks, Intel, and Samsung. It covered a wide variety of bandwidth-intensive and latency-sensitive video use cases in a high-density environment, including:
- An 8K video feed across the Wi-Fi 6E network, using a Wi-Fi 6E-enabled device as the broadcast platform. Scenarios included remote teaching with HD video in the classroom and simultaneous student access to HD and 8K videos for remote learning.
- Fast handover for roaming between mobile and Wi-Fi networks, enabling users to seamlessly stay connected as they move on and off campus without impacting performance, no matter how many users are on the network.
- Access to online classroom resources for remote learning, ensuring students can simultaneously access and interact with the same resources without buffering or increased lag times.
For this trial, Extreme deployed four of its AP4000 access points in a 1,400-square-meter venue that IPV uses to host on-campus events. Broadcom, Intel, and Samsung provided laptops, smartphones, and tablets enabled with 6E chipsets to run the trials. During the trial, Extreme observed a maximum download speed of 1.7 Gbps, which is close to the AP4000’s maximum possible throughput. Future trials will be conducted as new devices with 6E chipsets hit the market, including augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices that will enable immersive classroom experiences and provide faculty and students with new ways to interact.
The Wi-Fi 6E connection speed demonstrated during the trial will enable IPV to increase its offerings for immersive hybrid learning, which is quickly becoming a more popular option for students in Europe. IPV is a technology-driven university, and Wi-Fi 6E will enable it to increase its use of technology for students on and off campus, giving them the skills necessary to obtain a job after graduating. Additionally, IPV delivers regional Wi-Fi for the Viseu municipality, and Wi-Fi 6E will ensure it has the bandwidth necessary to offer connectivity for students and local citizens who need to use it.
IPV is also the first organization in Portugal to participate in WBA OpenRoaming, which enables students, teachers, and other users on campus to automatically connect to a high-speed, secure, carrier-grade Wi-Fi 6 network wherever they are, indoors and outdoors, without experiencing disruption to their wireless network connection. WBA OpenRoaming ensures seamless handoffs from cellular networks to Wi-Fi, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for users on the IPV campus.
During the trial, IPV students had no issues transferring between the OpenRoaming network and the Wi-Fi 6E network. IPV currently is exploring the possibility of using OpenRoaming to seamlessly integrate its Wi-Fi 6E network with cellular networks.
Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “This trial showcases how WBA OpenRoaming and Wi-Fi 6E are ideal for delivering the kinds of immersive, interactive learning experiences that are the future of higher education. Whether they’re all in the same classroom or spread around the IPV campus, Wi-Fi 6E ensures that faculty and students will enjoy the same reliable, high-quality experiences even with the most demanding applications, including 8K video and AR/VR.”
Luís Almeida, Senior Network Administrator, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, said: “Having a Wi-Fi 6E network on campus will open the door for us to increase our usage of emerging technology in the classroom. We can make our labs more immersive, increase the resources that we offer students online, and ensure that students have the same learning experience whether they are in the classroom or consuming lessons remotely. As soon as we are able to roll Wi-Fi 6E out across our entire campus, we know our students, educators, and all who connect to our network will immediately see the benefits of being able to connect in a new, clean spectrum.”
WBA MEMBER QUOTES
David Coleman, Director of Wireless Networking in the Office of the CTO, Extreme Networks, said: “Wi-Fi 6E is a much bigger step in wireless connectivity than many realize because we have now opened the 6 GHz spectrum, which will enable more devices to connect seamlessly to a network while maintaining peak performance. This is a game-changer for higher education organizations like IPV, as it will enable them to incorporate things like 8K video, augmented reality, remote guest speaker broadcasts, and more into the classroom. As student populations grow and teachers look to make learning experiences more immersive through technology, Wi-Fi 6E will be key to enabling this growth while ensuring every student has a consistent, high-performance experience.”
Gabriel Desjardins, Director of Marketing, Wireless Connectivity and Communications Division, Broadcom Inc., said: “We’ve been champions of Wi-Fi 6E since the very beginning and are excited to see the first of many trials using Broadcom-based access points and smartphones. Wi-Fi 6E gives people connectivity performance that’s second to none and will help transform the way students learn.”
Carlos Cordeiro PhD, Intel Fellow & Wireless CTO, Client Computing Group, Intel Corporation, said: “We depend on Wi-Fi more than ever, and great connectivity is essential for everyday communication, collaboration, and entertainment, especially in an educational environment. We at Intel are delighted to have been able to participate in this WBA trial with industry partners. Together we showcased how the improved speed, latency, and capacity of Wi-Fi 6E using 6 GHz, coupled with the convenience of frictionless WBA OpenRoaming, can help transform user experiences for more people and devices in the home, in the classroom, and across campus.”
JM Choi, Corporate VP and Head of Connectivity R&D Group in MX Business, Samsung Electronics, said: “We are very honored to collaborate on this introduction of Wi-Fi 6E and OpenRoaming. This is not just a successful trial of Wi-Fi 6E and OpenRoaming, but it is also an important step toward more rapid, widespread adoption of Wi-Fi 6E in the Wi-Fi industry. We’ve seen a glimpse of the future where Galaxy users can navigate their busy lives knowing their connection is incredibly seamless—with advanced high-speed service and reduced latency to stream video, access valuable resources, and more. Thanks to this initiative, mobile innovation has progressed one step further. Most importantly, users have benefitted from a more convenient and efficient way to interact on mobile. This is the beginning of a new precedent for wireless experiences.”
About the Wireless Broadband Alliance
Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is the global organization that connects people with the latest Wi-Fi initiatives. Founded in 2003, the vision of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is to drive seamless, interoperable service experiences via Wi-Fi within the global wireless ecosystem. WBA’s mission is to enable collaboration between service providers, technology companies, cities, regulators and organizations to achieve that vision. WBA’s membership is comprised of major operators, identity providers and leading technology companies across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision.
WBA undertakes programs and activities to address business and technical issues, as well as opportunities, for member companies. WBA work areas include standards development, industry guidelines, trials, certification and advocacy. Its key programs include NextGen Wi-Fi, OpenRoaming, 5G, IoT, Testing & Interoperability and Policy & Regulatory Affairs, with member-led Work Groups dedicated to resolving standards and technical issues to promote end-to-end services and accelerate business opportunities.
The WBA Board includes Airties, AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Broadcom, BT, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom AG, Intel, Reliance Jio, Turk Telekom and Viasat. For the complete list of current WBA members, click here.
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