Finnish telecoms giant Nokia has unveiled a detailed vision for the ninth iteration of wireless networks, and it’s centred around artificial intelligence.

Ahead of meetings to discuss the future of internet connectivity, Nokia has revealed that it expects the focus of Wi-Fi 9 to be about supporting “real-time, immersive and AI-driven digital experiences”.

Klaus Doppler, head of the Wi-Fi Research Centre of Excellence at Nokia, made this prediction in a new analysis piece. He points out that past versions of the Wi-Fi protocol aimed to boost internet speeds and facilitate large networks of internet-connected devices.

But he believes that the increasingly “immersive, intelligent and interactive” nature of the online world means developing an even faster version of WiFi won’t be good enough.

Instead, he says the technology industry needs to ensure Wi-Fi 9 offers the “responsiveness, reliability and predictability” needed for facilitating AI-fueled digital experiences. That’s not to say speed doesn’t matter, but he suggests it shouldn’t be the sole focus.

As well as arguing that enabling “real-world performance” should be the primary aim of Wi-Fi 9, he broke down some of the different elements that would be needed to make the generation of wireless connectivity a success.

Firstly, Doppler says Wi-Fi 9 must offer users “multi-gigabit speeds” that are commonplace on computers, extended-reality devices and smartphones - many of which now offer AI features out of the box. This, he says, is key to enabling people to “fully utilise next-generation fibre broadband connections”.

Secondly, the internet connectivity offered by Wi-Fi 9 will need to be “predictable” and “reliable”, according to Doppler. He says this will be crucial as innovations like “immersive media, robotics and tactile interaction” become more widespread.

He adds that these varied use cases won’t be able to sustain “delays beyond 10ms and packet loss cannot be tolerated”. Just imagine the disruption that could be caused if production at a factory making medical supplies, which relies solely on internet-connected robots, comes to a halt due to an unreliable Wi-Fi connection.

Thirdly, he says Wi-Fi 9 must be capable of delivering “high-performance” internet connectivity across “dense environments” that have “dozens of connected devices simultaneously running real-time and high-bandwidth applications”.

Lastly, amid a worsening global climate crisis, he says Wi-Fi 9 must also prioritise “improved efficiency”. While Doppler acknowledges that improved performance will be an important consideration for future internet networks, he says it should not “come at the cost of increased power consumption for mobile devices and access points”. AI, in particular, is well known for consuming high levels of energy that experts fear could contribute to rapid climate change.

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