The Beacon Blog

It is well known that the Wi-Fi® ecosystem delivers enormous benefits to consumers, businesses, and economies around the world. Wi-Fi connects millions of people and billions of devices to the Internet. But is it possible to quantify this benefit?

This content was originally published in the IEEE Communication Standards Magazine.

The year 2020 was monumental for Wi-Fi®.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a fundamental challenge on a global scale. Our socioeconomic systems have been strained as a result, forcing entire societies to reexamine social practices and production systems that have often been in place for decades, if not centuries. These changes have caused a global economic recession worse than the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

NASA astronauts route first Ethernet cable onto truss and install a Wi-Fi® access pointAbove the International Space Station’s habitable modules, the Integrated Truss Structure supports sun-tracking solar arrays, adjustable thermal radiator panels, experiment pallets, and transporter rails.

Wi-Fi Alliance® recently spoke with Rich Nedwich, Worldwide Director of Education for CommScope, about CommScope’s project in progress with New Zealand’s Ministry of Education, and how Wi‑Fi® can help educational institutions now and in the future.

NASA marks first occasion that Wi-Fi connects vehicles in space

Stay-at-home orders around the world during the coronavirus have helped slow the spread of the pandemic. Staying connected while staying home has been easy for some, but more difficult for others.

Approximately 46 percent of the world’s population is not connected to the internet. Among those individuals without internet access, many are school-age children.

The idea for external Wi-Fi® on International Space Station (ISS or Space Station) formed during the later days of the Space Shuttle program as the concept of “commercial off the shelf” technology was becoming more accepted in the human space program.