Exclusive: A look at HPE Aruba Networking's Wi-Fi 7, AI solutions

HPE Aruba Networking, the networking division of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, is at the forefront of transforming the industry with its advanced AI-powered and security-first networking solutions.

Leading this charge is Elissa McCormick, who heads the Solution Advocacy team, ensuring that customer needs across the diverse Asia Pacific and Japan region are met with cutting-edge technologies.

In an exclusive interview with TechDay, McCormick elaborated on how HPE Aruba Networking is dedicated to addressing the unique business challenges of its customers - providing them with the technology needed to explore new opportunities.

"Our role is to understand the pain points and objectives of our customers and then find the right technology solutions to support them," she said.

The Leap from Wi-Fi 6E to Wi-Fi 7

The recently introduced Wi-Fi 7 represents the next major leap in wireless technology.

"Wi-Fi 7 essentially builds on Wi-Fi 6E, offering faster speeds, greater capacity, and several new capabilities, such as multi-link operation," she explained.

McCormick used a freeway analogy to illustrate these advancements, likening the increase in available spectrum to expanding a freeway from two lanes to eight. "Wi-Fi 7 doubles the spectrum, providing redundancy and improving overall performance for connected devices."

Additionally, the introduction of 4K QAM technology allows more data to be transmitted within the same signal, which McCormick compared to vacuum-packing clothes to fit more into a suitcase.

Differences and Innovations

When asked about the standout differences between Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, McCormick highlighted three main areas: speed, multi-link operation, and data transmission efficiency.

"Wi-Fi 7 increases the speed with 320 MHz channels, almost doubling what was available with Wi-Fi 6E," she said. The multi-link operation feature allows devices to communicate over two radios simultaneously, enhancing both redundancy and performance.

Beyond standard Wi-Fi 7 features, HPE Aruba Networking has introduced several innovative enhancements.

"We wanted to give our customers more, so we've included ultra tri-band filtering, which offers an additional 30% capacity over competitors," McCormick revealed. The company is also focusing on creating a platform that supports a wide range of IoT devices, enabling customers to consolidate their networks and improve security.

Opportunities in Australia and New Zealand

HPE Aruba Networking sees significant opportunities in the Australia and New Zealand markets, particularly in addressing last-mile connectivity and the high costs associated with IT resources. "The continued rollout of 5G combined with our Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure offers a great opportunity to provide last-mile connectivity services, whether for traditional client devices like laptops and smartphones or for IoT sensors and actuators," McCormick said.

The company is also heavily investing in AI to help organisations do more with less. "Given the constraints on IT resources, especially in Australia, we're doubling down on using AI to augment IT operators, helping them manage networks more effectively," she explained. This includes using AI to identify trends, recommend actions, and provide quantifiable data to improve network performance and security.

Sustainability is another key focus area, with organisations increasingly required to report on their sustainability initiatives. HPE Aruba Networking is leveraging AI to optimise energy usage across networks, dynamically adjusting the number of active access points based on demand. "By turning off unnecessary access points during off-peak hours, we're helping customers reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions," McCormick emphasized.

The Future of Advanced Wi-Fi Technologies

Looking ahead, McCormick predicts that the broader adoption of advanced Wi-Fi technologies like Wi-Fi 7 will open up new opportunities, particularly in industries like education and large public venues.

"In education, from K-12 to universities, there's a growing need for stable, secure networks that can handle high-density connections," she said. Universities, in particular, face the challenge of providing dense Wi-Fi coverage in lecture theatres, where thousands of devices may connect simultaneously.

Large public venues, such as stadiums and airports, are also poised to benefit from Wi-Fi 7. "People expect seamless connectivity in these environments, whether they're uploading posts during a game or downloading information while waiting for a flight," McCormick explained. The increased capacity offered by Wi-Fi 7, combined with the ability to integrate with private 5G networks, makes it an ideal solution for these scenarios.

Looking to the Future

HPE Aruba Networking has made several strategic acquisitions in recent years, including Silver Peak for SD-WAN solutions and investments in private 5G technology. "These acquisitions have strengthened our portfolio, enabling us to offer a richer set of solutions that address the diverse needs of our customers," McCormick said.

The company also prides itself on offering flexible architecture options, catering to the varying needs of customers who may prefer cloud-based, on-prem, or hybrid solutions. "In Australia and New Zealand, we see a strong demand for hybrid approaches, where customers can keep some workloads on-prem while leveraging cloud services for others."

HPE Aruba Networking's leadership has been consistently recognised by industry analysts, with the company positioned in Gartner's leadership quadrant for the past 18 years. This recognition underscores the company's commitment to delivering innovative, customer-focused solutions.

Success Stories

While Wi-Fi 7 is still in its early stages, HPE Aruba Networking has already seen successful implementations.

One of the largest deployments was at HPE Discover in Las Vegas, where the company provided Wi-Fi 7 connectivity for over 15,000 attendees. "We had 170 of our brand new Wi-Fi 7 access points running at the event, and it was a huge testament to the platform's capability and stability," McCormick said.

As HPE Aruba Networking continues to innovate, the company remains focused on helping customers leverage the latest technologies to meet their evolving needs. "We're excited to deliver more than just the standard to our customers, ensuring that they have the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly connected world."