How does Ookla anticipate networks to evolve in 2026 to assist new purposes, gadgets, and utilization patterns?
RCR Wi-fi Information spoke with Kerry Baker, who leads Ookla’s analysis and content material efforts in North America, to study extra about how networks are anticipated to evolve in 2026 to assist new purposes, gadgets, and utilization patterns — and the way operators ought to reply.
Uplink turns into strategically necessary (not simply downlink)
In response to Baker, by 2026, uplink efficiency will matter way over it has traditionally, pushed by AI-centric use circumstances like voice-based brokers, content material creation, reside streaming, and interactive workloads. Each cell (5G SA, higher-order MIMO, service aggregation) and glued networks (mid-split and high-split cable upgrades) are reallocating capability towards uplink. Latency — not simply throughput — more and more defines whether or not AI interactions really feel usable or irritating
AI site visitors development is actual — however extremely unsure
The interview highlights deep uncertainty round how AI truly modifications site visitors patterns. Whereas distributors forecast huge (100×) site visitors development, agentic AI might cut back bandwidth demand by shifting interactions away from video-heavy human interfaces towards machine-to-machine exchanges. The trade nonetheless lacks readability on whether or not AI creates net-new site visitors or just reshapes it
Baker defined: When customers experiment with AI in lighthearted methods — like including Godzilla to a good friend’s picture — it creates site visitors that didn’t beforehand exist. However that raises a broader query: Is AI producing net-new site visitors, or just substituting one sort of utilization for an additional? “Like if I’m doing that, then I’m not watching cat movies or no matter,” he mentioned. So, is that actually creating new, incremental site visitors?
That uncertainty turns into much more pronounced as agentic AI enters the image. If brokers start appearing on customers’ behalf — shopping for groceries, coordinating duties, or speaking straight with different brokers — they could not require bandwidth-heavy, human-facing interfaces in any respect.
Wi-Fi 7’s features are actual however uneven
Wi-Fi 7 delivers measurable enhancements in latency, capability, and reliability, notably for dense households and small companies. Nevertheless, adoption will stay uneven, with many customers nonetheless adequately served by Wi-Fi 6/6E. Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO) stands out as a key enabler, however solely when paired with the appropriate service tier and managed gear E
Primarily, Wi-Fi 7 is transformative in the appropriate environments — however not universally essential by 2026.
Spectrum constraints stay principally invisible — for now
Regardless of ongoing spectrum debates, Spectrum shortage is a future danger, not a 2026 disaster, outdoors of seasonal or localized slowdowns. Baker sees spectrum shortage as a future danger, not a 2026 disaster. “Are they working out of spectrum? No,” he acknowledged.
Additional, he mentioned that advances in spectral effectivity and 5G-Superior options will proceed to offset stress, although AI-driven future calls for stay an open query. “I don’t see this being a difficulty on the 5G horizon, perhaps the 5G-Superior horizon.”
Community resiliency turns into a major funding theme
When requested the place operators ought to be investing most in 2026, Baker recommended that the strongest forward-looking sign is a renewed concentrate on resiliency, redundancy, and failover — throughout cell, mounted, and satellite tv for pc. He cited classes from cloud outages and excessive climate occasions, that are pushing carriers to suppose extra like critical-infrastructure suppliers. “Possibly these techcos must grow to be extra like telcos and grow to be a little bit extra redundant,” he mentioned.
Satellites transfer from novelty to resilience layer
LEO satellites, D2D connectivity, and satellite-based failover are more and more positioned as insurance coverage insurance policies for connectivity, not major entry networks. Use circumstances embody catastrophe restoration, distant protection, aviation, maritime, and small-business backup — with efficiency measurement turning into a rising focus. “[Satellites] are offering community resilience… if it went down, the satellite tv for pc community is there,” mentioned Baker. “And we’re seeing… extra rivals [in the space], which is implausible. We love seeing that,”
